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C6~l 



PENNSYLVANIA AT GETTYSBURG 



CEREMONIES 



Dedication of the Monuments 



ERECTKI) KV THK 



Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 



TO MARK THE POSITIONS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA COMMANDS 
ENGAGED IN THE BATTLE 



There is a heritage of heroic example and uoble obligation, not reckoned iu; 
the wealth of nations, but essential to a nation's life." 



VOLUME 



189J 




.4^5 



58«^ 



Entered according to the Act of Congress 

by the Editor and Compiler Bvt. Lt. Col. John P. Nicholson 

Secretarj" Board of Coiuinissioners 



IIAKttI9Ul-K(i, I-KNNA. 
MKVRttli, STATU I'RINTrk. 



ADDRESS DELIVKR1<:D AT THE DEDICATION OF I HE 
CEMET1':RV AT GETTYSBURG 



^)VKAri!i:K 1 0, i<S6_^. 



FOUR score aud seven years ago our fathers brought forth ou 
this coutinent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedi- 
cated to the jjroijosition that all men are created equal. 
Now we are engaged in a great civil war ; testing whether that 
nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long 
endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We 
have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting 
place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might 
live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. 
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not conse- 
crate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living 
aud dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our 
poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor 
long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what 
they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated 
here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have 
thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedi- 
cated to the great task remaining- before us, — that from these 
honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which 
tliey gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly 
resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this 
nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that 
government of the ]3eople, by the people, for the people, shall 

not perish from the earth. 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



(iii) 



HOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 

Under the Act approved June 15, 18S7 

t. ttie erection of Monuments to mark the positions of the 
Pennsylvania Commands engaged in the Battle of Gettysburg 



Brevet Brig.-General John P. Taylor President 
Brevet Brig.-General J. P. S. GoBiN 

Brevet Lieut.-Colonel John P. Nicholson Secretary 
Brevet Colonel R. Bruce Ricketts 

Brevet Brig.-General Wm. Ross Hartshorne 
May, 1S91 

Major Samuel Harper Secretary 

(Died May 16, 1889) 



(iv) 



P RJ-: 1' ACK. 



THE General Assembly of the Conuiioiiwealth of Penn- 
sylvania at the session of 1887, passed the follow- 
ing : 
1. " J3e it enacted, <£•''., That tlie sum of one hundrcfl aiul Iwciity- 
oiie thousand five hundred doUars, or so luuoli thereof as may be 
necessary, be and is hereby specifically appropriated out of any 
funds of the state treasury for the purpose of perpetuating the par- 
ticipation in, and markinix, by suitable memorial tal)lets of bv • -^ 
or granite, the position of each of the commands of Pennsylvaiua 
volunteers engaged in the battle of Gettysburg. 
****** ****** 

3. " That immediately after tlie passage of this act the Governor 
shall appoint five Commissioners, whose duty it shall be to select 
and decide upon the design and material for monuments of granite 
or bronze to mark the position of each Pennsylvania connnand 
upon the battle-field of Gettysburg, and the said Commissioners 
shall serve without compensation, and tliey shall co-operate with 
five persons representing the survivors of the several regimental 
organizations or commands of this state engaged in the said battle, 
in the location of the said monuments and the selection thereof, 
and when such monuments shall be completed and properly erected 
the Auditor-General shall, upon proper voucher to be presented bv 
the said Commissioners, draw his Avarrant upon the State Treasurer 
for the sum of fifteen hundred dollars, which sum is hereby appro- 
priated for the payment of the monument of each Pennsylvania 
command or organization participating in said battle ; and should 
the survivors of any of the said commands fail, for a jieriod of 
twelve months after the passage of this act, to agree upon the lo- 
cation or to co-operate with the said Commissioners as j)rovided 
herein, then the said Commissioners shall have a suitable monu- 
ment erected, of the iliaterial aforesaid, to mark the jtosition of 
such Pennsylvania command on the said battle-field, and a warrant 
for the cost tliereof shall be drawn by the Auditor-(Teneral in the 
manner hereinbefore iirovided.'' 

On the 15th day of Jnne, 1887, the (xovernor of the Coni- 

(V) 



vi Prnnsi/lvauia at (Jetiijuhurij. 

monwoaltli, lion. .lames A. Beaver, approved the act, and on 
the 27tli of June, 1S87, issued commissions to Brevet Briga- 
dier-General John P. Taylor, Brevet Brigadier-Cxenei-al J. P. 
S. Cfobin, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel John P. Xicliolson, Bre- 
vet Colonel R. Bruce Ricketts and Major Samuel Harper as 
the Commissioners. 

The Board was organized by the selection of Brevet Brig- 
adier-General John P. Taylor, president, and Major Samuel 
Harper, secretary. 

Monuments were dedicated under the appropriation dur- 
ing 1887-1888. 

At a meeting of the Board, in November, 1888, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Nicholson submitted a resolution providing for a 
committee to confer with Governor Beaver, having in view 
the setting aptirt a day, for the dedication of the monuments, 
in 1880. under the auspices of the state and with appropriate 
ceremonies, to be styled ''Pennsylvania Day." The Gover- 
nor entered heartily into the suggestion and, at a conference 
with the Commissioners, May 11-12, 1889, was agreed upon. 

The Legislature at the session of 1889, in furtherance of 
the celebration, generously and patriotically passed the fol- 
lowing : 

Whkreas, Tliat the act of tlie Legislature of one thousand eight 
liundred and eighty-seven, provided for the erection of suitable 
monuments on the battle-tield of Gettysburg, to mark the positions 
held by Pennsylvania organizations in said battle, Avhich monu- 
ments are to be dedicated at such time during the present year as 
may 1>e designated by the Governor of this Commonwealth, at 
which dedication the ])resence of all Pennsylvania soldiers Avho 
participated in tin- Inittle of Gettysburg is greatly desired ; 

And Whrrcus, The people of this commonwealth have always 
venerated the patriotic and heroic deeds of her soldiers and now 
desire not only to commemorate the sacrifices of the fallen heroes 
of the l?('])Mblic, but also to honor the surviviiio^ veterans and make 
their rt'iiiaiiiiiiLT <lays comfortable an<l hapjiy ; therefore, 

Skction 1. lii It )'n<tct<)J, <C"t'., Tliat at tlic tiiiie of tlic dcdica- 
ti<»nof the monuments of the Pennsylvania ornani/.ations on the 
battle-Held of (Gettysburg, there shall b(> ))rovided and furnished, 
at the expense of the commonwealtli. t ranspoi'tation to all the sur- 
viving honorably disclnugecl soldiers now residin<r in Peinisylvania 
whose names were borne up<ni the rolls of such organizations pre. 



P( nnsi/Ivanid (if Gettijshurg. vii 

viousl}' to, aiul at tlie date, of the battlo of (Tcttyshurof, on Julv 
first, secoiui and tliird, one tliousand eii^lit liundrcd and sixty-throe, 
such transportation to cover distance from tlie stations at which such 
soldiers live or from the railroad stations nearest to their places of 
residence, by the shortest or most convenient route, to Gottyshurg- 
and return, and shall be so arranged as to terms of passage that the 
said veterans shall have tlie privilege of remaining at Gettysburg 
not less than one week and siiall have tlie privilege of stopping off 
at any station en route. 

Section" 4. That the sum of fifty thousand dollars, or so much 
thereof as may be necessar\', is hereby appro})riated out of any 
money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, to defray the 
expense of trans[»ortatiou provided for in this act aiul ex})enses of 
the Gettysburg Battle-field Commission incurred in making ar- 
rangements for dedication of said monuments ; the money to be 
paid on requisition of the Adjutant-General and warrant of Auditor- 
General, drawn in the usual manner, providing that duly verified 
vouchers, showing the detailed disbursements under this act, shall 
be made and filed in the Auditor-General's oftice. 

The act was approved by the Governor May 8th. 1889. 

The Commissioners at once proceeded with the details of 
the programme, bnt theserions illness of the secretary of the 
Commission and the impracticability of the distribution of 
the transportion by the Adjutant-General in the short period 
of time elapsing between the passage of the law and the date 
of the ceremonies agreed upon, induced the Commissioners 
in conference with the Governor, to postpone the dedication 
to September 11-12, 1889. 

Major Harper died May 16th, 1889, and Lietitenant-Colonel 
Nicholson was elected secretary. 

The details of the ceremonies were at once arranged and 
the programme for September was announced. 

The orders for transportation under the law were distrib- 
uted by Brigadier-General D. H. Hastings, Adjutant-Gen- 
eral. The Board desires to express its hearty thanks for the 
faithftil i3erforiuance of this duty, which, to a great extent, 
made the occasion a success. 

On the 5th of June. 1890, a conference with the repi-e- 
sentatives of the Pennsylvania Reserves was held at Har- 
risburg, having in view a "Pennsylvania Reserve Day" at 
Gettysburg, upon the occasion of the dedication of the monu- 



/ 



viii Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

nitMif'^ of thp Tlpsprve regiments. At this meeting, Tues- 
tl:i y. Seprcmber 2d, 1890, was agreed upon and a committee 
a})p()inred To act in conjunction willi tlie Commissioners. 
On ilir day designated a large representation of this gallant 
corps asseinl>led at Cxettysburg and participated in the cere- 
monies in the National Cemetery. The success of the re- 
union was largely due to the active co-operation of Colonel 
John H. Taggart, Eleventh Reserves, Captain John Taylor, 
Second Reserves, the Honorable President of the Pennsylva- 
nia Reserve Association, Ex-Gfovernor Andrew G. Curtin, and 
the Secretary of the Association, Sergt. James McCormick. 
Governor James A. Beaver, in his annual message, January 
6th, 1891, to the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, said : 

The dedication of those memorials upon Pennsylvania Day and 
Pennsylvania Reserve Day has resulted in a large amount of regi- 
mental history, covering principally the part taken l)y the several 
organizations in the battle of Gettysl)urg. This mass of materia! 
shonhl be systematized, edited and carefully preserved. If pub- 
lislu'd in a single volume, with lithogra})h cuts of the several monu- 
ments erected by Pennsylvania to her military organizations which 
participated in the battle of Gettysburg, it would of itself constitute 
the most striking monument illustrative of and perpetuating the 
memory of the part taken by the representatives of our common- 
wealth upon lier own soil in the greatest struggle of the War of 
Secession. I recommend a liberal appropriation for this purpose, 
to be expended under the direction of the Commission heretofore 
organized for the erection of monuments, the members of whicli, 
in their study of the subject, have (pialified themselves f(n- the in- 
telligent and efficient discharge of such a duty. 

Upon January 26th, 1891, Hon. J. P. S. Gobin, Senator 
fi-oiu Lebanon, introduced the following in the State Senate : 
An act to provide for the publishing of the report of the proceed- 
ings of the dedication of the Pennsylvania monuments upon the 
battle-field of (Tettysbiirg, ])roviding for the distribution thereof 
and making an appropriation for the same. 

Skc'tion 1. lie it enacted hy the Senate and House of Represen- 
taliiyji of the (Joininonioealth of Pennsylvania in General Assem- 
bly met^ anxt it Is In rit>y enocted hy the authority if the same, 
That, tlu-re sliall lie piihlislied undei' tlie direction of the Gettysburg 
IJattle-lieid ('onimission lu-retofoi'e organized for the erection of 
monuments, nineteen thousand eopies of its report of the proceed- 
ings of the dedication (•ei"enioiiies of tlie I'eiinsylvania monuments 



Pennsylvania at Getty shur(j. ix 

upon the battle-field of Gettysburg. To hv i)ul)lislie(l in one vol- 
ume not to exceed one thousand pages, to be bound in half morocco, 
and to contain lithographs or other cuts of the several monuments, 
and such regimental history as may be necessary to ])roperly j^er- 
petuate the memory of the jiart taken by the several Pennsvlvania 
organizations. 

Section 2. The distribution of the aforesaid edition shall be as 
follows : Five hundred copies for the use of the Governor, one 
hundred and fifty copies for the use of the Lieutenant-Governor, 
one hundred and fifty copies for the use of the Secretary of the 
Commonwealth, three hundred copies for the use of the State Li- 
brarian, fifty copies each for use of Attorney-General, Auditor- 
General, State Treasurer, Secretary of Internal Affairs, Superinten- 
dent of Public Instruction, Adjutant-General, Commissioner of In- 
surance, and Superintendent of Public Printing and Binding ; one 
thousand copies for the use of the School Department for distribu- 
tion to school superintendents, normal schools and school libraries 
in the commonwealth, six hundred copies for use of the Military 
Order of the Loyal Legion of the State of Pennsylvania, six hundred 
and fifty copies for use of the Grand Army ot the Republic for 
distribution among the Posts of the Department of Pennsylvania, 
fifty copies for the use of the encampments of the L'nion Veteran 
Legion of the State of Pennsylvania, two hundred copies for the 
use of the members of the Battle-field Monumental Commission, 
five thousand copies for the use of the Senate, and ten thousand 
copies for use of the House to be delivered to the members of the 
present Legislature. 

Governor Robert E. Pattison appreciatively approved the 
bill for publication. May Ttli, 1891. 

In this abstract of the Commission's work they express 
their thanks to Brevet Major-General David McM. Gregg, 
chief marshal, and his chief -of -staff, Brevet Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Sylvester Bonnaffon, Jr.. for the important part they 
took in making " Pennsylvania Day'' memorable. 

To Brevet Brigadier-General James A. Beaver, as Governor 
of the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania oAves a debt of grati- 
tude, for to him it is due in a great measure that the battle- 
field of Gettysburg is marked with memorials and the ser- 
vice of her sons recited in this volume. 

John P. Nicholsox, 

Brevet Lieut.-Colonel U. S. T'., 

Secretary. 



PENNSYLVANIA COMMANDS ENGAGED IN THE BATTLE OF 
GETTYSBURG OR PRESENT ON THE FIELD. 



Eleventh Regiment Infantry. 
Twenty-third Regiment Infantry. 
Twenty-sixth Regiment Infantry. 
Twenty-seventh Regiment Infantry. 
Twenty-eighth Regiment Infantry. 
Twenty-ninth Regiment Infantry. 
Thirtieth Regiment Infantry (First Reserve). 
Thirty-first Regiment Infantry (Second Reserve). 
Thirty-fourth Regiment Infantry (Fifth Reserve). 
Thirty-flfth Regiment Infantry (Sixth Reserve). 
Thirty-eighth Regiment Infantry (Ninth Reserve). 
Thirty-ninth Regiment Infantry (Tenth Reserve). 
Fortieth Regiment Infantry (Eleventii Reserve). 
Forty-first Regiment Infantry (Twelfth Reserve). 
Forty-second Regiment Infantry (Thirteen tli Reserve, First Rifles.) 
Forty-sixth Regiment Infantry. 
Forty-ninth Regiment Infantry. 
Fifty-third Regiment Infantry. 
Fifty-sixth Regiment Infantry. 
Fifty-seventh Regiment Infantry. 
Sixty-first Regiment Infantry, 
Sixty-second Regiment Infantry. 
Sixty-third Regiment Infantry. 
Sixty-eighth Regiment Infantry. 
Sixty-ninth Regiment Infantry. 
Seventy-first Regiment Infantry. 
Seventy-second Regiment Infantry. 
Seventy-third Regiment Infantry. 
Seventy-fourth Regiment Infantry. 
Seventy-fifth Regiment Infantry. 
Eighty-first Regiment Infantry. 
Eighty-second Regiment Infantry. 
Eighty-tliird Regiment Infantry. 
Eighty-fourth Regiment Infantry. 
Eiglity-eighth Regiment Infantry. 
Ninetieth Regiment Infantry. 
Ninety-first Regiment Infantry. 
Ninety-third Regiment Infantry. 
Ninetj'-fifth Regiment Infantry. 
Ninety-sixth Regiment Infantry. 
Ninety-eighth Regiment Infantry. 
Xinety-nintli Regiment Infantry. 
<';ie Hundred and Second Regiment Infantry' 
' >;ie Hundred and Fifth Regiment Infantry. 
ne Hundred and Sixth Regiment Infantry. 

(1) 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

One Hundred and Seventh Rej^inient Infantry. 
One llundrt-d anil Ninth Kcfiiinent Infantry. 
One Hundred and Tenth Heyinient Infantry. 
One llunclred and Eleventh Keginient Infantry. 
One Hundred and Fourteenth Keariinent Infantry. 
One Hundred and Kifteenlh Keginient Infantry. 
One Hundred and Si.xteenth Regiment Infantry. 
One Hurulred and Eighteenth Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Nineteenth Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Twenty-first Regiment Infantry, 
One Hundred and Tiiirt^^-nintli Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Fortieth Regiment Infantry. 
One Huntired and Forty-first Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Forty-second Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Forty-third Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Forty-fiftii Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundretl and Forty-seventh Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Forty-eighth Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Forty-ninth Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Fifty-first Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Fiftj'-tiiird Regiment Infantry. 
One Hundred and Fifiy-fifth Regiment Infantry. 
Twenty-Sixth Emergency Regiment Infantry. 
First Regiment Cavalry. 
Second Regiment Cavalry. 
Third Regiment Cavalry. 
Fourth Regiment Cavalry. 
Sixth Regiment Cavalry. 

Eifihth Regiment Cavalry. 
Si.xteenlli Regiment Cavalry. 

Seventeenth Regiment Cavalry. 

Eighteenth Regiment Cavalry. 

'I'wenty- First Regiment Cavalry. 

Battery H, First .\rtillery. 

Battery F, First .\rtillery. 

Battery C, First .\rtillery. 

Battery C, Independent Artillery. 

liattery E, Independent Artillery. 

]5attery F, Independent Artillery. 

Battery Jl, Third Heavy Artillery. 



GETTYSBURG 



PENNSYLVANIA 



DAY 



September 11-12 



1889. 



(8) 



PENNSYLVANIA DAY 

CiK I I \ SHURG, September 11-12, 1889 



WkDxVesday, September iith 

Dedication of the Monuments 

of the Pennsylvania Commands engaged in the Battle 

By the Survivors' Associations 



Ceremonies in National C e m e r e r \' 
Thursday, September i2Th, i 30 p. m. 

PRESIDING 

Brevet Lieut. Colonel George Meade 
Staff of Major-General George G. Meade, commanding Army of the Potomac 



MUSIC 

The Star-spangled Banner 

The "Arion Singing Society " 

Prof. J. C. Frank, Leader 

PRAYER 

Reverend John R. Paxton, D. D. 

Second Lieutenant 140th Penna. Infantry 

ANTHEM 

" Praise the Lord " 

The "Arion Singing Society " 

TRANSFER OF THE MONUMENTS TO THE GOVERNOR 

Honorable J. P. S. Gobin 

Brevet Brigadier-General ; Colonel 47th Penna. Infantry 

ACCEPTANCE ON BEHALF OF THE COMMONWEALTH 

Governor James A. Beaver 

Brevet Brigadier-General ; Colonel 148th Penna. Infantry 

POEM, "Gettysburg" 
Isaac R. Pennypacker, Esij. 

THE FIRST DAY, July 1, 1863 

Brevet Captain Joseph G. Rosengarten 

First Lieutenant 131st Penna. Infantrj' ; 

Aide-de-Canip Staff of Major-General John P. Reynolds 

THE SECOND AND THIRD DAWS, July 2-3, 1863 

Brevet Brigailier-Genoral Henrj- H. Bingham 

Major and Judge-Advocate Staff of Major-General Wintleld S. Hancock 

MUSIC 
Dedication Quartette 

TRANSFER TO BATTLE-FIELD MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION 
Governor James A. Beaver 

ACCEPTANCE ON BEHALF OF THE ASSOCIATION 
Edward McPherson, Esq 

MUSIC 
Dedication C,>uarlette and I'erficveraiice Band 

BENEDICTION 

Reverend David Craft, D. D. 

Chaplain Ulst Penna. Infantry 

(4) 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



PRAYER. 



Rev. John R. Paxton, D. 1). 



ALMIGHTY God, Great Ordainer of all things, Mighty Sus- 
tainer of all Thy creatures, we are Thy people, preserved 
by Thy power, cared for by Thy love and redeemed by 
Thy gi'ace. Aiid whatsoever we do, whether we eat or di'ink, 
whether we cultivate the art of peace, or hasten unto battle, 
whether we celebrate a birth or commemorate the dead, what- 
soever we do, we sincerely desire to do all in Thy fear and to Thy 
g"lory, thou Omnipotent God without whose blessing- we can do 
nothing- ivell and against whom we can do nothing- long-. 

We bless Thee as the God of Rig-hteousness and Truth, whose 
presence can be discerned on battle-fields, enforcing- just judg- 
ment by the sword and bayonet as well as in the houses of 
mourning inspiring hope, and soothing sorrow, or by the beds of 
dying men offering pardon and eternal life through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. 

We bless Thee as the God of Nations as well as of personal 
destiny. We see Thy hand moving amongst the affairs of the 
world, overturning dogmas of false worship, inflicting defeat upon 
wrong and wicked causes, and visiting with retributive punish- 
ment all unholy enterprises that offend Thy justice and truth. 

In times past we see Thy hand moving amongst our affairs as 
a nation. Friends and allies of Thine assisted at our birth as a 
nation, and by Thy care and favor we have prospered as a people 
and grown great and powerful in the eyes of all the Avorld, because 
we have, in the main, loved righteousness and truth and hated in- 
justice, oppressions and lies. 

Almighty God, continue to us, we pray Thee, as a nation, 
through all future generations, Thy favor and Thy care, then with 
God on our side we shall not fear the wrath of men nor the 
gates of hell, and the Great Republic, the land we love, shall 
abide forever. 

And now, O God, our father's God, our country's Gotl, for the 
occasion before us, and upon these memorial services, we confi- 
dently invoke Thy presence and Thy blessing, firmly believing 



G Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

that this clay, aud the dead around us, deserve Thy appi'obatiou, 
and are worthy of Thy couseiitiug: presence and Thy loving- smile. 
Almighty aud most Holy God, the Eternal Father, the Sovereign 
Ruler in Heaven, and on Earth, Lord of Lords, Great and Su- 
preme God against whom no star ever rebelled, nor any sea ever 
mutinied, daring to overleap its prescribed boundaries, to Thee 
we boldly and confidenth^ appeal; and on this memorial, this 
historic, this sacred field where our dead comrades sleep we fear 
not to claim Thy presence and Thy blessing. 

Hide not, O God, Thy face from us, nor keep back Thy smile 
and benediction, while we, survivors of this tremendous and ter- 
rific battle-field, on which treason and rebellion were fatally 
wounded, and the Union and the right assured of their final 
triumph, in grateful memory of our comrades who fell here, on the 
soil of our own state, and from our own homes, dedicate these 
monuments to their everlasting- remembrance. O be with us in 
all these solemn and tender services, for in Thy power we beg-in 
them, and under Thy smile have to conclude them. The battle 
was fought and won by our comrades who sleej) sweet beneath 
Thy smile, under the sod, aud by us who survived to mourn their 
death, and pay them loving tribute to their memory. May these 
marble and bronze monuments, erected in loving memory of our 
fallen comrades, stand while the Republic endures, and preach 
patriotism to unborn generations on this eventful and sacred field. 

We thank thee, O God, for the faithfulness unto death of the 
heroic dead whose bones repose in this hallowed ground. May 
their memory be g-reen in our hearts while life lasts. May the 
country for which they voluntarily and gladly shed their blood 
prosper, and sm-vive the vicissitudes of time, and the calamities 
of fortune, great, united, enduring-. May we be as loyal and patri- 
otic in peace as we were in war, by the side of our comrades at 
rest under our feet. May the children cherish and perpetuate 
the institution, the constitution, the liberty and love, and equality 
our comrades died to maintain. 

And now Thy holy, helpful blessing we claim and crave on 
the day, on our dead, on our country, north and south, on oui* 
President, our Governor aud the dear old State, which we and 
our common brothers who sleep in well-earned g-raves on this 
sacred battle-field, are proud to call our oion, Ave ask in Christ's 
name. Amen. 



ANTHEM: "Praise the Lord." 
The Arion Singing Society. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



THE TRANSFER OF THE MONUMENTS TO THE GOVERNOR 
OF THE COMMONWEALTH. 



By Hon. J. P. S. Gobin. 



GOVEKNOR BE AVER: The Commission appointed by 
yourself under the provision of the act of assembly ap- 
proved June 15, 1887, desire to present to the State of 
Pennsylvania, through you, as its executive, the result of then* 
labor. They were directed to "select and decide upon the desig-n 
and the material for monuments of g-ranite and bronze to mark 
the position of each Pennsylvania command upon the battle-field 
of Gettysburg," and the object of the erection of these monu- 
ments was declared to be "for the purpose of perpetuating the 
participation in and marking by suitable memorial tablets of 
granite or bronze the position of each of the commands of Penn- 
sylvania volunteers engaged " in that battle. 

From the earliest era of which we have historical data, nations 
and individuals have delighted to honor heroic deeds, and endur- 
ingly mark the spot upon which the fate of governments was in- 
volved in the shock of battle. Even though the result, in many 
. instances, impeded the onward march of progressive thought and 
shackled the limbs of advancing freedom, the natural pride with 
which was beheld the prowess of her soldiery upon that field, 
demanded of the nation suitable commemoration of the event, and 
a definite location of the scene. In the memories and traditions 
of past centuries, the legends of the middle ages, the histories of 
the ancient rulers, or the struggles of nations for a better civili- 
zation, the one place made sacred is that upon which their 
armies fought and conquered. Every nationality has insisted 
upon tributes of this character, and many have learned impor- 
tant lessons from them. We remember the story of one of the 
old conquerors of Greece, who, when he had traveled in his boy- 
hood over the battle-fields where Miltiades had won victories and 
set up trophies, upon his return, said, "These trophies of Mil- 
tiades will never let me sleep.'" Each feature of the chiseled 
granite was an inspiration to him as a soldier, and, doubtless, had 
an inspiring effect upon his subsequent cai*eer. 

The E-omans who placed the busts of their successful leaders 



8 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

upon their coin, the Swiss who employed the genius of Thor- 
waklseu to boldly hew from the granite face of the Alps a lion to 
perpetuate the courage of their countrymen in a foreign land, 
the nations embodying their patriotism or skill at arms by tri- 
umphal arch or memorial column, were all actuated by the same 
motive. Even beyond these, upon the banks of the Nile, as re 
mote as the days when the Pharaohs ruled, and amid the sands 
of old Assyria, can Ave find the remains of magnificent specimens 
of memorial architecture. 

• In how many instances, however, were these but the work of 
hands which had been held aloft with glee as the conqueror 
passed in triumphal procession through the capital, with his en- 
slaved prisoners bound to his chariot wheels ; or, at best, were 
but the tribute to the ambition of kings, or, still more to be re- 
gretted, the result of the superior prowess of disciplined forces 
over hastily-gathered levies defending their homes from ruth- 
less invaders 1 Happily, upon this field every tablet represents 
loyalty to country and fiag — a sublime devotion to duty never 
excelled in the world's history. They have been erected in re- 
sponse to the sentiment of the nation, demanding that which 
should be a patriotic remembrance for all time. Where the men 
of their state fought and died with the nation's life in deadly 
peril — where rebellion against it reached the noon-tide of its 
progress, and from thence went reeling out to meet its ineAatable 
sunset at Appomattox — should the granite and bronze arise. 
They represent a united country cemented by the ordeal of battle 
— refined, clarified and strengthened in the furnace of war, and the 
circle of fire in which armies fought and navies sailed. Each 
block stands for a unity of interest in every part of the land, 
and a national future one and indivisible. Whatever may have 
been the opinion of the individual as to the primal cause of the 
rebellion, they rest in the graves of the fallen, with the memo- 
rial tablets of the various states keeping watch over the places in 
which they lie buried forever. Thus the lives of those we repre- 
sent on this occasion were not lost to their country or their 
kindred — they are eloquent even in their nameless graves. They 
crowd al )Out as with all the incentives of honor and patriotism. 
They survive in our admiration of their deeds, in our respect for 
their sacrifices, in love for their patriotism and devotion to 
country. As the representatives of principles which are eternal, 
HO will their memories remain. Through the efforts of the dead 
and living l)ut one tiag fioats, or dare fioat, in this, our common 
<-ountry. To do justice to them, it should be so planted as to 



Peunsylvamu at Gettysburg. y 

wave above all error, sectionalism, injustice or division of senti- 
ment as to the rig-ht(^ousness of the cause for which those we 
represent yielded up their lives. 

In this, however, we by no means desire to confine our allusions 
to this immediate vicinity. It is but part of such a lin«^, or series 
of lines of battle as the world never beheld. The right resting- 
at Donelson, it encircles a vast extent of country, until the left is 
reached here in this quiet valley of the Kej^stone State, in the 
vast circle that sweeps down the Mississippi to the gulf, diverges 
to the Rio Grande, and eastward through to the Atlantic, coursing 
along its coast, and, by the familiar Potomac, leaping the wide 
rivers and high mountains — lines of natural defense — to where 
we at present stand. Its entire length is marked by honored 
graves — veteran sentinels of liberty — whose challenges will be 
heard forever and aye by all disturbers of the nation's unity, or 
conspirators against its honor. They will speak with the au- 
thority of the embattled hosts who fell in that line resisting the 
advance of error, and with the result that all now sit in peace 
and comfort. 

But with reverent respect for all, we are, to-day, desirous of doing 
honor to the soldier of our own state. These are their monuments. 
Those graves contain the dead of the state who fell upon this 
field. Men of Pennsylvania, they were of your tiesh and blood, 
they went out from yom* homes, they battled for the preservation 
of your firesides, and the vacant chairs remain within your house- 
holds. Their comrades claim them in memory and friendship, 
and it is a claim as far-reaching as the warm-throbbing heart of 
the old soldier can make it. With tear-dimmed eyes they range 
over this field as over no other spot in all the land, and would say 
to the trespasser, "put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place 
whereon thou standest is holy ground." 

This being Pennsylvania's battle-field, what more fitting than 
to properly commemorate the deeds of Pennsylvania's soldier 
sons upon her soil ? Here, as everywhere, at the call of duty, during 
the entire period of the rebellion were the men of Pennsylvania 
conspicuous. It has been contended that the battle of Gettysburg 
is of much greater scope than that which the hills around us en- 
compass, vast as that is. Some would even include the entire 
extent of territory lying between the battle grounds and the fords 
of the Ilai)paliannock in Virginia. Full of interest and impor- 
tance as the days preceding were, it culminated in tlie struggle 
which began on the 1st and ended on the 3d of July, 18G3, and 
to this history will confine it. 



10 Pennsylvania at Gettijshurg. 

Take a view of whatever portion of the field within the rang-e 
of your vision, and you behold Pennsylvania's memorial tablets. 
Upon the cavalry skirmish-line with Buford, in the column which 
Reynolds led to its position, and in the line which formed as his 
prostrate form was carried to the rear — upon the extreme right 
and left flank of the First Corps were regiments from the Keystone 
State, and the first infantry fire poured into the advancing- enemy 
was from another of them. In that corps death reaped a rich 
harvest of g-allant Pennsy 1 vanians. When the Eleventh Corps was 
hastily thrown into action they were in the advanced line, and 
the losses recorded attest the manner in which they fong-ht. One 
of her batteries took possession of east Cemetery Hill, and the 
first day's fighting- sullenly ended amid the shotted salutes with 
which the enemy were g-reeted from these g-uns. 

Upon the second day, amid all the fig-hting- on every part of 
the field, their record was well maintained. In the volume of 
battle which beg-an on the left of our line and surg-ed along- the 
Third Corps, involving- it and parts of others, no more heroic deeds 
were witnessed than those which Pennsylvania soldiers performed. 
Clinging- to the lines at the peach orchard, surging- back and forth 
through the wheat field, changing front under terrific fire, amid 
the rocky sides of the Round Tops, were heard the crack of their 
rifles and their shouts of defiance. And at this point the sun of 
battle went down as the Pennsylvania Reserves charged down 
the slope and over the valley of death, driving before them the 
last line of the enemy attacking this position. As they planted 
the Maltese cross of the Fifth Corps,the men of the Sixth displayed 
their Greek cross in support, and the left was safe. Away on 
the right was the Twelfth Corps, and its star waved over Gulp's and 
Wolf's Hill. Here the battle raged fiercely, and there, too, were 
Pennsylvanians, and not an inch of ground was yielded, until, 
under orders, they vacated it to aid another part of the line. As 
if to fittingly close the second day, it remained for her sons to meet 
the charge of the enemy upon east Cemetery Hill, and over the 
guns of her batteries men fought with a courage and desperation 
never exceeded, and using weapons unheard of in such warfare. 
Here, also, nightfall beheld the enemy defeated and discomfited, 
and th(( position of n^giments and batteries Avhich had fought 
upon every pait of the field could have been marked at that time 
by the dead, who lay as they had fallen, with their faces to the foe. 

The morning of the third day was ushered in by the deter- 
mined eflort of th(! Twelfth Corps to re-occupy their vacated 
lin(is. Aided by detachmtuits of the Sixth they ob.scured the sun 



Pen7isylvania at Gettysburg. w 

with their smoke of battle, and after live hours of incessant fig-ht- 
ing- they Avere back in the euti-euchments, and tJie rig])t of tlie 
line was secure. 

You cannot fail to recog-nize the Penusylvanians, who, at this 
part of the field, represented tlieir state and nation. And now, 
in the quiet Avhich prevailed until after the mid-day hour, bat- 
teries, cavalry and infantry gird their loins for the final con- 
test all knew to be impending. When, from Seminary Ridge, the 
cannonading of over one hundred guns shook the earth, quickly 
and effectively was it responded to. When the enemy soug-ht to 
move troops from their right to strengthen and reinforce their 
center they found cavalry there to prevent it, and the^^ did pre- 
vent it. Away ofl' to the right the mounted legions seek to turn 
that flank and reach the rear of our line. There, also, were our 
cavalry, and the Hummel Farm became the scene of one of the 
most determined and sang-uinary conflicts of man and horse; and 
the several lines of infantry, with which this attack co-operated, 
as they emerg-ed from the woods and swung across the plain, 
headed directly for the troops of the same old state over whose 
head floated the well-known trefoil of the Second Corps. In 
brigade line they awaited the attack. It came, and with their 
comrades of the east and west they rent the clouds with theu* 
shouts of victory as the decimated lines disappeared in the smoke 
of the conflict, and the battle of Gettysburg was over. 

At the headquarters of the army — of corps, division and bri- 
g-ade — were the men born on the soil of our state. In every 
g-rade, as well as at every point, Pennsylvania soldiers were in 
the forefront, and when we have completed the work in hand, and 
the memory of men in the ranks have been rendered immortal to 
the full extent of our ability, can we not, will we not, all unite in 
efforts to place 

"Under the dome of the Union sky 

The American sokliers' temple of fame 

in a most prominent place upon this field a just tribute to the 
valor, ability and devotion to duty of that glorious son of Penn- 
sylvania whose name is so indelibly associated Avith Gettysburg 
and with the Army of the Potomac wherever it fought ? Until 
George Gordon Meade has a fitting monument upon this battle 
g-round Pennsylvania will not have entirely performed her duty. 
Pardon this digression. I have not attempted to picture or do- 
scribe the battle of Gettysburg. I disclaim any such intention. 
My object has been to present with the monuments which rise at 
every point of the field brief reasons for their being, and to as- 



12 Fennsylvania at Getty nhurg. 

sure you tliat each one occupies tli<' position it is entitled to 
througli the valor of the men who followed the flag'. Wherever 
may be seen the bronze coat-of-arms of the state, there stood and 
foug-ht at one period or another in the desperate strug-g-le the 
command represented by the memorial, and the soil has been 
rendered sacred by the patriotic blood there expended. In honor 
of the service rendered have these enduring- tablets been erected. 
It is a fit and just tribute. The armies have long since struck 
their tents and silently merged with the masses in every part of 
the nation. The fields upon which they struggled gleam to day 
with the glory of peace, and death no longer gathers the rich har- 
vest which springs from their fruitful soil. Many have ended 
life's battle since then, and the lines are fading away swiftly be- 
fore the ravages of time and disease. They stand but in antici- 
pation of a speedy reunion with those file-leaders who have 
crossed the dark river, and with whom we hope to again fall into 
ranks in the great hereafter. Let the gratitude of the nation con- 
tinue to go out toward these men. It should be proportioned to 
the benefit received, as well as the purity of intention which im- 
parted the benefits. 

Predicted as an inevitable conflict, the war came, and was fought 
to the bitter end. The logic of events clearly proves it to have 
been an epoch in the nation's life, which, under Divine Providence, 
was to result in either liberty to all or death to the nation. The 
result could not have been otherwise. It was a tribute to tlie 
splendid civilization of the American people, which, by the efforts 
of a century, had developed the country, educated the masses, 
created a vast internal commerce, all culminating in placing the 
nation upon a plane of greatness never before reached by any 
government. Through the future gleam the possibilities, which, 
may we not claim, will mantle the earth with such achievements 
as will make this the undisputed, the eternal hope of liberty. 

We have learned the true value of nationality. Like our own 
mountain ranges, we will recognize the different peaks as they 
rise in various altitudes and claim specific names, the whole 
forming an indivisible body conspicuous in its greatness as a 
whole. These monuments represent this great nationality, and 
will stand forever as testimonials of a state and nation's gratitude 
to the valor of its citizen soldiers. 

Let the morning and evening sun, whicli shall greet, gild and 
ling(!r on their sides, and play upon them from base to capstone, 
Kymboli/e the showering benedictions of their countrymen, which 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 13 

will stream from ag-e to ag-e iu honor of the fame and memory of 
the dead and living they represent. 

The duties of your Commission have almost ended. I dan; 
claim for it a single purpose to perform them fairly, honestly and 
impartially. One of its members, Major Samuel Harper, passed 
away ere the work was completed. He was a true soldier, a firm 
patriot, earnest in his devotion to his work, which, upon this 
field, must ever be recognized. 

To the people of this great state W(^ now present the result of 
our labors in these memorial tablets. Each one tells its own 
truthful story, and will to future g-enerations. It is a record as com- 
plete as it is accurate. As they stand here overlooking these 
scenes, telling of the silent battalions represented, with yonder 
green mounds, the perpetual reminder of heroic immolation, may 
we not hope that in all the land, everywhere, loyal devotion to 
country and flag- shall prevail with a new-born intensity, capable 
of any sacrifice, and all may realize fully as was said of old, "It 
is the high reward of those who have risked their lives in a just 
and necessary war, that their names are sweet in the mouths of 
men, and every age shall know their actions." 



ACCEPTANCE ON BEHALF OF THE COMMONWEALTH. 



Governor James A. Beaver. 



C^OMKADES AND FELLOW-CITIZENS: No official duty 
which has devolved upon the present executive of Penn- 
^ sylvania is more significant, and at the same time more 
pleasant, than the one which he now performs on behalf of our 
goodly Commonwealth. Granite and bronze are not necessary, 
nor can they, in a large sense, perpetuate the memor}^ of the men 
dead and the heroism of those living, who stood for the consti- 
tution and the enforcement of the laws, upon this field. They 
have a significance and value, however, as showing the apprecia- 
tion of a grateful Commonwealth for the service of her sons in de- 
fending her soil and in aiding to perpetuate the unity of the gov- 
ernment of which she is a constituent part. On every portion of 
this historic battle-field Pennsylvania acted a prominent part. 
Her sons, as was meet, were the heroes of the field. Meade com- 
manded the army, Reynolds fell in the fore-front of battle in the 



14 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

first day's fiirlit, aud Hancock directed the details of preparation 
for the heroic aud stubborn resistance which was made to the de- 
termined assaults of the enemy, upon the second and third days. 
Penusylvanians were prominent in the First Corps at the opening- 
of the battle on the first day; Pennsylvania reg-iments played a 
prominent part in Sickles' g-allant forward movement; Pennsyl- 
vauians predominated in the First Division of the Second Corps 
and constituted the Third Division of the Fifth Corps, which made 
the impetuous assault throug'h the "wheat field" and the "devil's 
den" upon Hood's Division, in its determined and well-directed 
efforts to turn Sickles' left fiank, on the second day, aud Penn- 
sylvania received the shock of Pickett's heroic, but ill-fated and 
foolish, charge on the third day. Pennsylvania batteries occupied 
vital points in our defensive line, and Pennsylvania cavalry was 
conspicuous under a gfallaut Pennsylvanian in their brilliant opera- 
tions upon our right flank and rear. In every offensive move- 
ment made by the Army of tlie Potomac during the Gettysburg 
campaign; in every defensive position taken by it; in brilliant 
skirmish, in gallant assault, in heroic fighting or in stubborn re- 
sistance, Pennsylvania was found everywhere doing her duty aud 
bearing her full share of the heat and burdens of the day. We 
do not claim that she did more than her duty or that she per- 
formed more than her share of the work to be done. Without the 
assistance and co-operation of her sister states she would have 
been utterly powerless to repel the invasion of her soil. We 
make no invidious distinctions in emi^hasizing Pennsylvania's 
share in the campaign which found its climax within her borders. 
This is Pennsylvania Day, and we simply emphasize her part in 
the work here done without in any way detracting from or min- 
imizing the part taken by others or the credit due to them there- 
for. The description of the details of Pennsylvania's share in 
the glory of this field belongs to the historians of the occasion and 
I shall not trespass upon their theme or sphere in this direction. 
The Commonwealth does well in recognizing the devotion of her 
sons. Shejias been none too liberal in her gifts for such a purpose, 
lu accepting the results of the work of the Commission ap- 
pointed to supervise the erection of the memorials of the j^atri- 
otism of Pennsylvania's sons, it may be well to say a Avord as to 
tlui manner in which the work has been done and of its charac- 
teristic features. Charged with a delicate, a difficult and respon- 
sible duty, it is not too much to say that the Pennsylvania Gettys- 
burg Memorial Commissioners, so far as the results of their work 
are apparent upon this field, have discharged their duty in a 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 15 

niauner alike creditable to them and acceptable to the people of 
the Commonwealth. Few who have not given thoug-ht to the 
subject can realize the difHcnilties under which thuy labored, or 
appreciate the value of the work which they have doDc. This 
work was characterized, first, by a broad iutellig'ence. The posi- 
tion occupied by each of the eig-hty-six Pennsylvania org-auizations 
participating- in the battle of Gettysburg- was to be carefully 
studied and definitely ascertained in order to determine the loca- 
tion of their several monuments. The part taken by each organ- 
ization must be thoroughl}^ understood in order that the truth of 
history, and nothing- but the truth, should be displayed u[)ou these 
memorials. Tlie materials to be used; thedesig-n to be adopted; 
the details of construction and the jDerpetuity of results, were all 
to be considered and rig-lit conclusions in regard thereto reached. 
Those who have car-efully and critically followed the work of the 
Commission will, I am sure, join with me in commending the rare 
intelligence which has marked its labors in all these respects. 

The work of the Commission has been characterized, moreover, 
by unquestioned fidelity. Charged Avith the execution of a law, 
with the framing and passage of which its members had little to 
do; with the expenditure of a sum exceeding an eighth of a 
million of dollars, in such a way as to secure full and satisfactory 
returns to each regimental organization, and to the Common- 
wealth which placed her funds in their hands; with the preserva- 
tion of the truth of history, and, at the same time, with the vin- 
dication of the honor and reputation of Pennsylvania organiza- 
tions, where history had failed to do them justice; with deter- 
mining" the truth as to conflicting claims for position, and antag- " 
onistic interests on the part of conti-actors and committees repre- 
senting the various organizations who contracted with them, it 
will be seen that the work of the Commission required rare dis- 
cretion and ability. In all these respects, and others which can- 
not be mentioned for want of time, the Commission has, in all its 
work, fully met the demands made upon it, and can confidently 
point to the results which confront us on every hand for the evi- 
dence of the fidelity with which these demands have been met. 

The Commonwealth has in every instance had a full return for 
the money which was aj^propriated for these memorials, and in 
most of them has received a large percentage of increase from the 
voluntary contributions of the organizations themselves. Si> it is 
safe to say that no state, Avhen the work of the Commission shall 
be finished, will present more substantial, more enduring and 
more tasteful memorials of the devotion of her sous, than Penn- 
sylvania. 



K; PunnsyJvania at Gettysburg. 

The zeal manifested bj^ each and every member of the Commis- 
sion is also a characteristic of its work. Voluntarily accepting- a 
position to wliich no pecuniary compensation of any kind was at- 
tached, the gentlemen Avho composed the Commission gfave them- 
selves unreservedly to the work before them. They have spared 
no effort ; have stopped at no sacrifice of time or convenience ; 
have assisted in the organization of regimental committees ; have 
fm*nislied desig'ns for the adoption of such representatives, and 
have stimulated their efforts to secure better and more enduring' 
results than could have been obtained through the expenditure of 
the appropriation made by legislative authority alone. Such 
energy and zeal are worthy of commendation, and should be here 
and now recorded and acknowledged. There has been much 
patient forbearance with, and sometimes a judicious yielding to, 
the demands of zealous and enthusiastic reg-imental org-anizations. 
Such demands were the e\adence of a proper interest in the truth 
of history and in the faithful acknowledgment of the contributions 
which have been made by those who Avere thus represented and 
the results which history records. They were found, on careful 
examination, in many instances, to be correct, and official records 
have been thereby corrected through the careful and persistent 
efforts of the Commissioners. 

Without dwelling upon other characteristics of the work of the 
Commission, which will suggest themselves to the thoughtful ob- 
server, it is safe to say, finally, that success has crowned its work 
in an eminent degree. The organizations for whose benefit pro- 
vision was made by the legislature have not, in all instances, 
'availed themselves of it. Some memorials have not yet been 
erected. Designs for others have not yet been adopted, and to 
this extent the work of the Commission is not finished; but so far 
as the memorials which surround us are the evidence of the 
work of the Commission, we join to-day, as the survivors of 
those whose memory is thereby enshrined, in pronouncing their 
work an unqualified success. As already intimated, the work is 
not finished. The distinctively Pennsylvania organization in 
which all Pennsylvania, whether connected with it or not, takes 
pride, and which played such a distinguished part upon this field 
— the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps — has not yet erected its me- 
morial. It is the desire of the various regimental organizations 
composing that corps to erect a common memorial. In this de- 
sire I personally cordially sympathize, and will be glad to co-op- 
erate. The original provisions made for the erection of our 
iiK'morials did not sin-m to authorize such a use of the funds 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 17 

appropriated, and an unfortunate misunderstanding as to the bill 
passed by the last legislatur<? in relation thereto, which gave rise 
to certain constitutional and other difficulties, made necessary its 
disapproval. I wish, however, here and now, as a Pennsylvanian, 
proud of the forethoug-ht whi(tli organized the Pennsylvania Re- 
serve Corps, and of the record which it made for Pennsylvania, to 
say that, so far as I am able to do so, officially or personally, I 
wish to co-operate with the survivors of that distinguished body 
of Pennsylvania soldiers in carrying out their wishes. The Ver- 
mont Brigade has its magnificent Corinthian column, to be sur- 
mounted finally by a statue of Stannard ; New York's Excelsior 
Brigade has its distinctive monument; the New Jersey Brigade, 
distinguished alike for its brave deeds and the bravery of its 
great commander, perpetuates its memory and that of Kearny at 
the same time by a monument which combines the memorials of 
its several regiments ; so I would say, speaking for myself, let the 
Pennsylvania Reserve Corps perpetuate the memory of the part 
which it took upon this field and elsewhere throughout our great 
struggle for the preservation of the Union, in a memorial build- 
ing which shall be distinctive and appropriate. Consultation and 
cordial co-operation can bring this about without difficulty, and in 
harmony with the requirements of om* state constitution and the 
work of the Commission appointed in accordance with the pro- 
visions of the act of assembly relating thereto. 

It only remains for me, gentlemen of the Commission, to accept 
at your hands, as the representative of the Commonwealth, the 
work which you have here and now transferred to me. Pennsyl- 
vania is satisfied with what you have done; Pennsylvania con- 
gratulates herself upon the success of your efforts. I accept on 
her behalf these memorials erected under your supervision and 
control, and in doing so I beg to thank you in her name for the 
intelligence, the fidelity, the zeal and the patience which have 
crowned vour work. 



18 Pennsijlcania at Gctiyshurg. 



POEM. 
GETTYSBUR(;. 



Isaac R. Pennypacker. 



'Twas on the time when Lee, 
Below Potomac's swollen ford, 
Had beaten down the broken sword 

Of his baffled enemy. 

His hmg line lengthened faster 

Than the days of June, 
O'er valleys varied, mountains vaster, 

By forced marches night and noon ; 
Any morn might bring him down 
Captor of the proudest town ; 
Any one of cities three 
At noon or night might ]>rostrate be. 

Then to Meade was the sword of the north 

Held hiltward for proof of its worth ; 

O'er the vastness of masses of men 
All the glorious banners (jf war, 

All the battle-flags floated again ; 

All the bugles blew blithely once more, 

Sounding the stately advance; 

Village doorways framed fiices of awe 

At the trains of artillery pressed 

On earth's reverberent breast. 

And the sun sought the zenith, and saw 

All the splendors of war at a glance. 

How soon the lirst tierce rain of death 

In big drojjs dancing on the trees 
Withers the Ibliage ! At a breath, 

Hot as the blasts that dried old seas 
The clover falls like drops of blood 
From mortal hurts, and stains tlu; .sod ; 
The wheat is clipped, but the ripe grain 
Here long nngarnered shall remain. 
And many who at the drum's long roll 

Sprang to the charge and swelled the elieei 
And .set their flags high on the knoll. 

Ne'er knew how went the light fought \u\< 
For them a knell tmuiilluous shells 



Pennsylvania at Gdtyshvrij. 19 

Shook tVoin the consecrated bells, 
As here they formed that silent rank. 
Whose glorious star at twiliplit sank. 

And night, which lulls all discords — night. 

Which stills the folds and vocal wood. 
And. with the touch of linger light, 

Quiets the pink-lipped brook's wild mood. 
Which sends the wind to seek the latch, 
And seals young eyes while mothers watch — 
Night stays the battle, but with day 
Their lives, themselves, foes hurl away. 
Where the thousands fell, but did not yield, 
Shall be to-morrow's battle-field. 
E'er dying died or dead were cold 
New hosts pre.ssed on the lines to hold. 
And held them— hold them now in sleep 

While stars and sentinels go round, 
And war-worn chargers shrink like sheep 

Beside their riders on the ground. 
All through the night — all through the north 
Speed doubtful tidings back and forth, 
Through north and south, from dusk till day, 
A sundered people diver.se pray. 

So gradual sink the deliberate stars. 

The sun doth run the laggards down. 
As .sleep's still meadows bursts the bars, 

And floods with light the steepled town. 
Blow ! bugles of the cavalry, blow ! 
Forward the infantry, row on row ! 
While every battery leaps with life. 
And swells with tongueless throats the strife ! 

Wliere grappled foes, one flushed with joy 
From triumphs fresh, and come to destroy. 
And one by blows but tempered tit 
To keep the torch of freedom lit. 
The battle-dust from heroes' feet, 
Brief hiding rally and last retreat. 
By the free sunlight touched became 
A golden pillar of lambent flame. 

Glorifled was this field, its white 
Faces of victors and of .slain, 

And these and Round Top's luminous height 
That glory flashed afar again. 

Around the world for all to see 

One nation and one wholly free. 

And branded deep with flaming sword 

Its primal compact's l)indiug word. 

"Neath Freedom's dome that light divine. 



20 Pennsylvania at Gettysbiirg. 

Boruc here iVuin dark defiles of Time, 
Froiu here upblazed a beacon sign 
To all the oppressed of every clime ; 
And dulled e3'es glistened ; hope upsprung 
Where'er ills old when man was young 

Against awaking thought were set, 

Where jjower its tribute wrongly wrung, 

Or moved on pathways rank even yet 
With martyr's blood, where'er a tongue 

Hath words to show, as serf, slave, thrall, 

How great man's power ! how deep man's fall. 

Long will be felt, though hurled in vain, 

The shock that shook the northern gate, 
Long heard the shots that dashed amain, 

r>ut flattened on the rock of fate, 
Wliere Lee still strove, but failed to break 
The barrier down, or fissure make. 
And never grasped by force the prize 
Deferred by years of compromise. 
Long will men keep the memory bright 
Of deeds done here ; how tlaslied the blade 
Of Hancock from South Mountain's shade 
To the sheer heights of unfading light ! 
That martial morn o'er yonder ridge 
Reynolds last rode face towards liie foe, 
And onward rides through history so ; 

For Meade, even as for Joshua, suns 
The unmindful gulf of Time abridge, 
While still its depths fling back liis guns' 

Victorious echoes. The same wise power 
Which starts the currents from ocean's heart, 

And hurls the tides at their due hour. 
Or holds them with a force unspent. 

Made him like master, in each part, 
O'er all his mighty instrument. 

Chief leaders of the battle great ! 

Three sons of one proud mothei' state ! 
These epoch stones she sets stand fast. 

As on her field her regiments stood ; 
Their volleys rang the first and last ; 

They kept with Webb the target-wood, 
And there for all turned on its track 
The wild gulf stream of treason back ; 
Or on tlie stubborn hill-sides trod 
Out harvests sown not on the clod ; 
Hearts shall beat high in days grown tame, 
At thoughts of tliem and their i)roud fame. 

And watching Pickett's gallant band 
Melt like lost snow-flakes in the deep. 



Pennsylvania at Geffysfmry. 21 

Pit.v shall grow tliroiighout tlic land, 
And near ajtace with joy sliall keep. 

baffled, beaten, back to the ford, 

His own at last the broken sword. 

Kode the invader. On his breast 

Mis head with sorrow low was pressed ; 

On his hor.se\s tangled mane 

Loosely hung the bridle rein. 

At Gettysburg his valiant host 

The last hope of their cause had lost : 

In vain their daring and endeavor. 

It was buried tliere forever ; 

Right well he knew the way he Hed 

Straight to the last surrender led. 

So ended Lee's anabasis, 
.\nd all he hoped had come to this ; — 
As well for master as the driven 
That not bj^ him was victory given. 
So Right emboldened and made known 
Hurled the whole troop of Error down, 
-Vnd here held fast an heritage ; 

So on that course may all hold fast 
'Till no man takes an hundred wage. 

And each one has his own at last, 
'Till the last caravan of the bound, 

Driven towards some Bornuese market place, 
Happily shall feel their l)onds unwound, 

And steps of woe in joy retrace. 

In the cities of the north 

The brazen cannon belched forth 

For the defeat of Lee : 
When the smoke from this field 
Unfolded, Lo ! fixed on the shield 
Each w^andering star was revealed. 
And the .steeple bells pealed 

Inland to the further sea ; 
In the villages flags waved 

For Meade's victory, — 
A thousand, thousand flags waved 

For the souls to be frvc. 
For the Union saved. 

For the Union still to be. 



22 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



THE FIRST DAY— JULY i, 1863. 



Bkkvei- Captain Joseph G. Rosengarten. 



PENNSYLVANIA DAY marks the completion of the official 
relations of the State of Pennsylvania with the battle-field 
of Gettysburg. Everj^ position occupied by Pennsylvania 
soldiers through the scenes and events of that great battle is now 
marked by a memorial of the regiment or battery that took part 
in it. Thanks to the generosity of the State, the wise choice of 
its Governor, the industry and care of the Commissioners ap- 
pointed by him, the task is done, and well done. Now, in final 
conclusion of all this labor, of the years spent in securing the 
ground, in preserving its natural features, in making a lasting 
record on the spot of the force that occupied each part of the long 
line of battle, we are gathered here to renew the memories that 
made Gettysburg dear to every soldier who fought here. The 
field of Gettysburg is within sight ; the vantage ground gained by 
the first day's battle was the position on which the battles of the 
succeeding days were fought, and the victory finally won. The 
campaign of Gettysburg covered the whole territory over which 
her great contending armies moved. From the fords of the Rap- 
pahannock and the passes of the Blue mountains, through Vir- 
ginia, across the Potomac, through Maryland, into Pennsylvania, 
up the Cumberland valley, and as far east almost as the Susque- 
haima river, the strategic operations of the Ai'my of Northern 
Virginia, under General Lee, and of the Army of the Potomac, 
under General Hooker and General Meade, will deserve careful 
study. The Union cavalry won especial distinction as it masked 
the movements of the Union army, and forced the Confederate 
leader to disclose his well-conctdved and well-matured plans. 
When Meade took command he unfolded his army like a fan, 
keeping it always between the invading enemy and the great 
cities thr(;atened by Lee. * 

Fii'st then let us pay tribute to the memory of General Meade, 
the commander on whom rested tlie responsibilitj', made the 
weightier by the unexpected order which put him at the head of 
the Army of the Potomac, only three days before the great battle 

.Ncwhalls address before the Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 23 

which practically was the crisis of the war. His g-eneralship was 
of the highest order, and his strategic and practical operations 
the best, yet one other element of his success has been too little 
regarded. His great moral and personal excellence was uni- 
versally felt and recognized throughout the army, and when he 
was put at its head, that great body was at once lifted on a higher 
plane and became thoroughly inspired with a lofty purpose, and 
an earnest wdll to do all that should be asked. All joined in a 
silent thanksgiving that General Meade was their commander, 
for by that mental revelation which permeates great masses of 
disciplined men, his fitness as a leader was universally recognized, 
and Gettysburg yet needs a final memorial of General Meade to 
mark his great victory. 

Next in our retrospect let us pay tribute to General Reynolds. 
The advance, the left wing of the army, was given to General 
Reynolds, Meade's closest friend. Unlike as were the two in 
mental and moral qualities, in physical appearance and military 
bent, each perfectly supplemented the other. When he fell his 
place was given to General Hancock, again totally unlike either 
Meade or Reynolds, a soldier of the highest excellence, who on 
this as in so many other trying positions, did his part in winning 
the victory. One other name must always be honored in speaking 
of the First Day at Gettysburg. — John Buford, gallant soldier, 
typical cavalry leader, fearless fighter, for with him rests the 
special distinction of first clearly forseeing that Gettysburg was 
to be the scene of a great battle ; prepared for the Confederate 
onset, he shortly resisted an overwhelming force, called confi- 
dently on Rej^nolds, his immediate commander, for the support 
that promptly came to his help, notified Meade of Reynolds' deatli, 
advised him of the need of some one to command, and in every 
way helped to save the field and win the victory, even at the price 
of the First Day's Battle. 

Standing here, no words are needed to show the strategic im- 
portance of Gettysburg, the reasons for the tactical movements, 
and the limits which the nature of the country imposed on Meade 
and his army, alike in coming to Gettysburg as they did in hold- 
ing and defending their line, and in gathering the fruits of the 
victory. The hills and mountains that hid the advancing enemy 
as he debouched from the gaps beyond, also sheltered his shat- 
tered forces as they withdrew to the Potomac, and found safety in 
retreat across its waters to Virginia. The vigor with which Gen- 
eral Meade concentrated his army at Gettysburg, the ability with 
which he won the victory, show that it is not for want of will that 



24 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

his pursuit was not swift euoug-li to turu the defeat into a rout. 
The central facts and the figures of the first day's battle, however 
are all that can now be briefly told. Assi^-ned (for the second 
time) on the morning- of June 3U, to the command of the left wing, 
General Reynolds led his own Corps, the First, followed by the 
Eleventh, close aft(n- Buford's Cavalry Division, to the front. He 
sent Buford through Gettysburg to find the enem3^ The old rule 
had been for the cavalry to keep near the infantry, but Buford 
went boldly forward, knowing that wherever Reynolds sent him 
he was sm-e to be supported, and that in falling back, if he must 
do so, he would meet the infantry on its way out. It was Buford 
who first called attention to the concentration of roads at Gettys- 
burg that gave it such strategic importance. It was his energy 
in pushing forward, his foresight in thrusting his force out, not in- 
vited, that almost compelled the Confederate army to come to 
Gettysburg, and thus brought the battle on there. At daylight 
on the morning of July 1 his advance picket saw the enemy ap- 
proaching on the Chambersburg road, and at 5.30 the first fire 
came from our side, as the dismounted cavalrymen took refuge 
behind the abutments of the bridge over Willoughby run. Fall- 
ing back to higher ground, the advance of the leading division, 
Hetli's, of Hill's Corps, was seriously disputed. Devin's Brigade, 
holding the line from the Chambersburg road to the right. 
Gamble's that to the left, Buford maintaining a firm front with 
his few guns and his thin line of cavalry. General Reynolds 
came promptly to the front, had a brief, but significant, interview 
with Buford, saw that the time had come to put in his infantry, 
promptly accepted the responsibility of engaging the enemy, re- 
turned to meet the leading division, Wadsworth's, led it to the 
front, relieved Buford's hard-pressed lines, ordered up the rest of 
his command, hurried up the troops, by brigades, and even by 
single regiments, put them into his lengthening lines, placed the 
batteries in position as they arrived, and put Buford in support 
of his horse batteries in reserve and on the flanks. Thus rapidly 
d(!veloping his line, the enemy, advancing in largely superior 
numbers, was held at bay, while the First Corps was put in posi- 
tion. The Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania, under Colonel Hofmann, 
opened the infantry fire at 9:30 a. m. The Iron Brigade was i)ut 
forward by Reynolds himself, and then, returning to meet his ad- 
vancing division, Reynolds fell by the hands of a sharpshooter on 
tlie spot now marked by a memorial shaft Almost at the same 
time two Confederate regiments, the bulk of Archer's Brigade, 
with (ieneral Arch(!r himself, were captured and marched to the 



Pennsylvania at GcHysbnrg. 25 

rear, and as the dead body of Geueral Reynolds was carried (jii' 
the fiekl, the captured Confederates manifested their marked ic- 
spect for the fallen ITnion general. At the outset, Wadsworth's 
Division, wiHi Halls battery, were all the infantry between Get 
tysburg- and two strong- Confederate divisions, with large rein- 
forcements coming- in on the Carlisle road. Robinson's Division 
arrived in time to support the hard-pressed little force on the 
right. Doubleday's Division came in on the left. Stone's Brigade 
going iuto position beyond Seminary Ridge, Riddle's Brigade ou 
the extreme left. There it maintained its position, and from 11 
a. m. until 4 p. m. fought and manoeuvred until it, too, was forced 
to retire. About 1 p. m. the leading division of the Eleventh 
Corps took up its place on the right, followed by a second di- 
vision, with the batteries on their right and left, another division 
and a battery being placed in reserve on Cemetery Hill. 

Heth's Division of Hill's Corps was the advance of the Confed- 
erate force, and it was promptly followed by Pender, while 
Rodes' and Earlj^'s Divisions of Ewell's Corps came on our ex- 
treme right, Rodes, about 2 p. m.. Early, about 3 p. m., meeting 
at the time and place above designated, after long marches from 
different points, with wonderful accuracy. The First and the 
Eleventh Corps of our army each numbered little more than some 
of the Confederate Divisions. General Doubleday points out that 
the Confederate army had but three corps, while the Union army 
had seven, so that each of their corps represented about a third, 
each of ours a seventh of the whole force, and the same propor- 
tion extended to divisions, brigades, and even regiments. Gen- 
eral Doubleday, who succeeded Reynolds in command of the 
First Corps, says it took 8,200 men into action. General Heth 
says his division numbered some 7,000 muskets. The Compte de 
Paris says the Union forces numbered about 11,500 against more 
than 30,000 Confederate troops. Colonel Chapman Biddh^ in liis 
exhaustive study of the first day's battle, puts the Confederate 
force at over 30,000 ; the Union force was about 14,000, 8,200 in 
the First Corps, barely 1,000 in the Eleventh engaged. In spite 
of such odds and such inequality, the first day's battle was a suc- 
cession of well-contested struggles at each point. Buford's cav- 
alry held their position against Heth's Division from 8 to 10 a. m., 
relieved by the First Corps, that in turn held its own against Heth 
and Pender until nearly 1 p. m. About that hour the Eleventh 
Corps on the right fought Rodes" and Early's Divisions, and even 
after it fell back, the First Corps still stoutly resisted until past 4 
o'clock, when, outflanked by the heavy force of the Confederate 



2(; Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

army, it was oblig-ecl to retreat to Cemetery Hill. What might 
have been the issue if Eeynolds had been spared can only be mat- 
ter of conjecture, yet it must be borne in mind that on more than 
one hardh^-contested field his presence had converted apparent 
defeat into victory. Of him it mig-ht well be said, he never can 
be deathless till he die. It is the dead win battles. Be that as 
it may, his place was finall}^ taken by Hancock, who arrived on 
Cemetery Hill between 3 and 4 p. m., and ]3romptly jDut the forces 
in hand into position — sent Wadsworth's Division and a battery 
to Culp's Hill, on the right, with fresh troops, and extended the 
lines to the left at Round Top. 

The divisions of the Twelfth Corps, under Geary and Williams, 
took positions on the extreme left and right respectively, and 
Buford made a strong cavalry demonstration on both flanks. The 
timely arrival of Stannard's Vermont Brigade added fresh 
strength to the troops. Leaving Washington on the 25th at noon, 
after an exhausting march of seven days, rain falling every day, 
under orders to report to General Reynolds, it reached Gettys- 
burg late on the afternoon of the 1st of July, and the tired troops 
were placed in position in column by regiments, connecting with 
the divisions of the Third Corps just hurried to the front, and in 
rear of the line of battle of the First and Eleventh Corps on Cem- 
etery Hill. Thus the Confederate army, in spite of its successes, 
saw the Union army strong in its new position, and while Gen- 
eral Lee conditionally ordered an advance, his corps and division 
generals were content to prepare for it for the next day. By 
midnight of the 1st the bulk of the Army of the Potomac was in 
its place, and General Meade himself followed soon after, and 
at once surveyed the field and prepared to hold it. Buford had 
sent word that here was the place to fight a battle, Reynolds had 
confirmed it, Hancock seconded it, Warren, too, found that they 
were right, and General Meade promptly gave orders for the con- 
centration of his army there. The first day's battle had se 
cured the position on which the succeeding days' battles were to 
be fought and won. It was thus on Pennsylvania soil that the 
great and decisive battle was fought, with a Pennsylvanian, 
Meade, at the head of the army, with another Pennsylvanian, 
Reynolds, leading the advance, and falling at the very fore-front 
at the outset. It was another Pennsylvanian, Hancock, who took 
his place and secured the line on which he himself fell desper- 
ately wounded later on ; it was a Pennsylvania regiment, the 
Fifty -sixth, that opened the infantry fight on the 1st of July. In 
the First (^)i-i)s there were twelve Pennsylvania organizations; 



Fennsylvania at Getfyfihtoy. 27 

ill the Eleventh Corps there were five, and eig-hteen more were in 
the Twelfth and Third Corps, whose timely presence counted for 
so much in the closing- scenes of that eventful day at Gettysburg. 

Pennsylvania Day, by its very name, recalls their pnisence and 
their services. But the forces that took part in the first day's 
battle included men of New York, Maine, Massachusetts, Indi- 
ana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Connecticut, New Jersey, and 
the r<egular army, so that no state lines, no local history, limits the 
interest of the first day. Pennsylvania has always recognized its 
duty as guardian of the field of Gettysburg, and while it honors 
its own sons who fought and fell here, it honors equally the mem- 
ory of those of other states, for all alike fought in defense of the 
Union. The State of Pennsylvania invites its citizens to meet 
here again to consecrate themselves in the presence of all these 
memorials, testifying better than any words can tell, the loyalty 
of its sons to the Union, and the tender regard piously cherished 
for all who died that the Union might live. The years that have 
passed since the battle are full of great events, but much of their 
importance is due to the issue of that contest, and that issue is in 
turn largely due to the events of the first day and its influence on 
the result. Reynolds set the example, sealing a g-lorious life by a 
g-lorious death, and his men were worthy of him. No more preg- 
nant tribute was ever paid than that of General Meade, when, in 
his dispatch of July 4, he said: "We have been engag-ed with 
the enemy for three days — July 1, 2 and 3. On the 1st our forces 
met and we lost Rejmolds." Thus he puts the loss of Pieynolds 
by itself, showing- that even after the successes of the second and 
third days, the death of Reynolds was a heavy price to pay for the 
final result of a crowning victory. On another occasion he said: 
" Reynolds was the noblest, as well as the bravest, gentleman in 
the army. When he fell at Gettysburg- the army lost its right 
arm." That Reynolds was appreciated as highly by his own sol- 
diers as by the commanding general is testified by the fact that 
here his old First Corps erected the heroic bronze statue that 
stands in the National Cemetery. The State of Pennsylvania has 
marked, by a suitable memorial, the spot on which Reynolds fell, 
and near it are the memorials of the organizations that fought on 
the first day in the front on the lines he formed. 

The death of Reynolds led General Meade to do an act which 
exhibited his best qualities as a commander. Himself but three 
days at the head of the army, he selected General Hancock, who 
had but three days before left his division to take command of a 
corps, and sent him to assume the command of the left wing in 



2K Penafisylvania at Gettysbiirg. 

succession to Reynolds. The result fully justified the choice, but 
to make it required moral courag-e, insight into character, and 
rapidity of decision. Hancock on his arrival at the front did just 
the work Avliich was needed — rallying the troops, addressing and 
encouraging them, assig-ning- positions to those already there, 
hastening into line the fresh troops as they arrived. Anticipating 
Lee's order to Ewell, he sent Wadsworth to occupy Gulp's Hill, 
and having put all in order, reported to General Meade that he 
could hold the position till nig-htfall, and that here was the 
place to fig-ht our battle, and received a prompt reply that the arm}- 
was ordered there. Thus Buford and Reynolds and Hancock all 
united in the work that made the first day's battle so mo- 
mentous. * 

It was not a surj^rise nor an accident — it was the opening en- 
gagement between two contending armies. Over the Army of 
Northern Virginia General Lee exercised supreme command for 
more than a year, during which he had won four g-reat victories. 
Over the Army of the Potomac, General Meade had been in com- 
mand for three days, and he was hampered by orders from 
Washing-ton, and the necessity of conforiuing- to them. He was 
looking for the enemy, his main point, as he said to Halleck, "to 
find and fight the enem3^" He sent Reynolds on that errand, and 
Reynolds in turn despatched Buford with his cavalry to be the 
eyes of the army. He found them, and with his clear prescience 
saw the opportunity and the occasion, and quickly seized it, and 
Reynolds in turn helped to bring- Lee's forces out of their mount- 
ain shelter, to hold them, and, in conformity with Meade's or- 
ders, bettered in their understanding by Buford and Reynolds 
of what was before them — an enemy rapidly concentrating at a 
position of great importance, they held on for the whole of that 
first day, while Gencn-al Meade was enabled to prepare for that 
offensive defense which he had at the outst^t determined on. 

Even as great a military writer as Lord Wolseley speaks of the 
first day as a surprise to the Confederate army, and not to the 
Union army, but he is not borne out by the facts. General Lee 
says, in his report, that his whole force was ordered to concen- 
trate at Gettysburg. Two divisions of General Hill's Corps were 
sent to Gettysburg by the Chambersbnrg road, and tlu' Third Di- 
vision was held in rt^serve. The two divisions of Ewell's Cor]is, 
Early's and Rodes', were ordered there, and coming-, one from 
York the other from Carlisle, their concentration was effected 

*GeruTal F. A. Walker in llal ties and Leaders of tlie Civil War. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 29 

with admirable precision. Of the Union Army, Buford's Division 
of cavahy was sent throug-h (Jettysburg- on the 30th of June to 
observe the enemy, and his movements were closely watched and 
fully reported both to Reynolds and Meade. Reynolds put his 
own corps, the First, into action on the mornin"- of the first day, 
and under his orders the Eleventh Corps came up to its support, 
while the Third Corps, later on, followed, and by nig'htfall, with the 
Twelfth Corps and the Vermont Brigade, were on the ground and 
in position. Surely, then, there was no surprise in the battle, 
and it was foug-iit just at the time and place where it best efiected 
its object. True up to the 1st of July, the Confederate Army had 
met little but militia, and the people of Pennsylvania mig-ht well 
have asked : 

win- liave they dared to march so many miles upon her peaceful bosom, 
frighting her pale-faced villages with war, and ostentation of despised arms ? 
Ridiard II., act 2, -sc. S. 

But the end to the invasion came when the Army of the Poto- 
mac and the Army of Northern Virginia met in front of Gettys- 
burg-. It may be true that some of the Confederates expected to 
encounter only militia, yet the g-eneral officers, its leaders, knew 
that General Meade was looking- for the enemy and for a place to 
fig-ht, and both were found at Gettysburg. There the Army of 
the Potomac for three days contended for the supremacy which 
finally crowned the long- struggle, and the issue was largely due 
to the sturdy valor of the small body of troops that on the first 
day withstood double their number Both Meade and Lee were 
manoeuvering for positions on which to deliver battle; General 
Lee, to gather the fruits of his invasion of the noi-th, to mass 
his forces before the Union Army could be concentrated, and, 
fighting it in detail, to win a victory Avliich should enable him 
to exact terms that would give a new lease of life to the Con- 
federacy ; General Meade, to protect Washington and Baltimore, 
to relieve Harrisburg and Philadelphia, and to drive Lee across 
the Potomac. Buford, with his cavahy, the eyes of the army, saw 
at a glance that Gettysburg was the best j)oint for concentration 
and for a decisive battle. Reynolds, its right arm, saw that the 
time had arrived, and, with his corps, struck the first blow, mean- 
ing to follow it up with the help of the Eleventh and Third Corps. 
Hancock, in turn, seized the position on Cemetery Ridge, and by 
nightfall secured it, so that at the close of the first da^^ although 
the enemy had largely outnumljered our force, yet the substantial 
advantage was ours, for here Lee was brought to bay, and tlie 
successful battle of the second and third days were largely the 
outcome of that of the first day. 



:U^ Pennsylvania at Getfyshury. 

The hard tig-hting of the first day is measured bj^ that best 
test, the casualty list, strikingly alike on both sides, in spite of 
the contrast of the numbers engag-ed. Much of the details of 
this kind will be found in Fox's Book of liegimental Losses, well 
called Fox's Book of Martyrs, and it deserves close and diligent 
study on this and on the other great battles of the war, for its ex- 
haustive study. The First Corps took into action 8,200 and lost 
6,025. The Eleventh Corps, out of 9,197, took into action. Gen- 
eral Howard says " hardly 6,000," and lost 3,801. On the Con- 
federate side, in Hill's Corps, Heth says he took in 7,000 and lost 
2,850, and Pender lost 1,690 out of 4,260 engaged. Ewell's Corps 
was 20,000 strong (according to General Meade's letter to Colonel 
Benedict), and Bodes' Division, out of 6,207, lost 2,858, and Ear- 
ly's, 1,188 out of 5,477. The First Corps lost over 70 per cent., 
the Eleventh Corps over 60 per cent. Of the First Corps, the 
Iron Brigade lost 61 per cent., 1,153 out of 1,883 ; the First Di- 
vision 2,128, and the Second Division 1,686, out of 2,500, while 
the smallest, the Third Division, consisting, with the exception 
of one New York regiment, entirely of Pennsylvania regiments, 
lost 1,748 out of 2,069, over 80 per cent., and the other divisions 
were little behind the same heavy percentage. Biddle's Brigade 
of the Third Division lost 897 out of 1,287, nearly 70 per cent., 
leaving only 390, a fragment of a regiment. Stone's Brigade, by 
Colonel Wister's report, went in with 1,300 men and lost 852, 
over 66 per cent. It had but three regiments, the One Hundred 
and Forty-third, One Hundred and Forty-ninth and One Hundred 
and Fiftieth Pennsylvania, and no command fought more desper- 
ately or suffered greater losses. At its head its commander, Col- 
onel Boy Stone, was wounded, and his successor. Colonel Lang- 
horne Wister was also wounded. After taking position to the 
right of Biddle's Brigade, and rendering effective assistance to 
Wadsworth's hard-pressed division. Stone's little brigade was 
made the point of a concentrated attack in force by double its 
numbei-; against its three small regiments were brought six regi- 
ments the average strength being over five hundred each. 

The Confederate reports lay stress on the severity of their 
losses. General Heth speaks of losing 2,700 out of 7,000, nearly 
40 per cent., in twenty-five minutes. Colonel Hopkins of the 
Forty-fifth North Carolina, says that regiment suffered more than 
it ever did before in the same time. The Second North Carolina 
reported a loss of two-thirds. The Twenty-sixth North Carolina 
lost over 76 percent., Pender's old brigade over 48 percent., Dan- 
iel's over 43 per cent., and the regimental losses in both Hill's and 



Pennsylvania, at Gettysburg. 31 

Ewell's Corps were very heavy. On our side, of the losses of the 
Peunsylvauia reg-iments, the following- were in the First Corps: 

Eleventh Pennsylvania lost 117 out of 292, or 40 pei* cent. 

Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania lost 183 out of 252, or 50 per cent. 

Eighty-eighth Pennsj'lvania lost 106 out of 296, or 35 per cent. 

Ninetieth Pennsylvania lost 94 out of 20S, or 45 per cent. 

One Hundred and Seventh Pennsylvania lost 165 out of 255, or 65 per cent. 

One Hundred and Twenty-first Pcmisylvania lost 179 out of 263, or 68 per 
cent. 

One Hundred and Forty-second Pennsylvania lost 211 out of 362, or 59 per 
cent. 

One Hundred and Forty-third Pennsylvania lost 252 out of 465, or 55 per 
cent. 

One Hundred and Forty-ninth Penn.4ylvania lost 336 out of 450, or 75 per 
cent. 

One Hundred and Fiftieth Pennsj^lvania lost 264 out of 397, or 68 per cent. 

One Hundred and Fifty-first Pennsylvania lost 335 out of 467, or 73 per 
cent. 

The Union troops at various points won sigfnal success, for 
they captured parts of three brigades of Confederate troops, 
Archer's, Davis' and Iverson's. 

The One Hundred and Seventh Pennsylvania reported the cap- 
ture of more prisoners than the reg-iment numbered. 

Of the Pennsylvania regiments in the Eleventh Corps, 

The Twenty-seventh lost 111 out of 324, or 45 per cent. 

The Seventy-third lost 34 out of 332, or 10 per cent. 

The Seventy-fourth lost 110 out of 381, or 32 per cent. 

The Seventy-fifth lost 111 out of 258, or 40 per cent. 

The One Hundred and Fifty-third lost 211 out of 569, or 39 {)er cent. 

On the Union side of the greatest regimental losses at Gettys- 
burg the First Corps is represented by the One Hundred and 
Fifty-first, One Hundred and Forty-ninth, One Hundred and 
Fiftieth, One Hundred and Forty-seventh, One Hundred and 
Forty-third and One Hundred and Forty-second Pennsylvania, 
and the Eleventh Corps by the Twenty-seventh, Seventy-fourth, 
Seventy-fifth, and One Hundred and Fifty-third Pennsylvania. 
On the Confederate side, the Twenty-sixth North Carolina lost, 
according to General Hoke's report, 708, but by the War Depart- 
ment's list, 588 out of " over 800," over 75 per cent., for these 
North Carolina regiments went into the field of great strength, 
some as high as 1,800, others 1,500 ; one company of the Twenty- 
sixth North Carolina lost out of 3 officers and 84 men, all of 
the officers and 83 of men; another company, of the Eleventh 
North Carolina, lost 36 out of 38. The Second North Caro- 
lina Battalion was reported by General Ewell as losing 200, b}^ 
the War Department 153, out of 240, 75 or 65 per cent. : Lane's 



32 Pennsylvania at GeMyshurg. 

North Carolina Brig'ade of Pender's Division, lost 660 out of 1,355, 
nearly 50 per cent. : Daniel's Brigade lost 916 out of 2,100, over 
43 per cent. ; Pettig-rew's Brigade lost 1,105, nearly the whole 
strength of Biddle's. The total loss in the Union Army at Gettys- 
burg- was 27 per cent. ; that of the First Corps on the first day was 
over 70 per cent., that of the Eleventh Corps over 60 per cent. 
Compare these with the losses in famous foreign battles. At 
Balaklava the Light Brigade lost 37 per cent., at Inkerman the 
Guards lost 45 per cent., the heaviest German regimental losses 
in the Franco-Prussian war were 49 per cent. The Twenty-sixth 
North Carolina lost 72 per cent., the One Hundred and Forty- 
ninth and One Hundred and Fifty-first Pennsylvania about as 
heavily. Nor did these Pennsylvania regiments fight any better 
on Pennsylvania soil than elsewhere, while their comrades from 
other states fought as bravely here as in any other field during- 
the war. It has been the habit to speak of the first day's battle 
as if it had been an accidental encounter, in which horse, foot and 
artillery were driven in and through Gettysbm-g-. In point of 
fact there was no accident, no surprise, no easy victory. Buford 
went by Beynolds' order to find the enemy, and his report on the 
30th showed Avhere Lee's forces were concentrating. From the 
dawn of July 1st, when Buford's cavalry first met the advance of 
Hill's Corps, until nig-htfall, when the Army of the Potomac was 
concentrated at and near Gettysburg, there was sturdy fig-hting, 
stout resistance against a largely superior force, and an all-im- 
portant position and time to concentrate on it gained. The Con- 
federate Ai-my fought to Avin the first day, but the Union Army 
fought to win the next day and the next, and the final victory.* 

TJie battle of Gettysburg was a varying series of successive en- 
gagements, with alternate gains and losses, but the final result 
was that crowning success which was largely due to the good fig-ht 
fought on the first day against heavy odds. 

The first day's battle was a series of distinct contests, and, like 
every battle, it was a compound of victory and defeat ; every sol- 
dier killed, wounded or captured, every inch of ground g-ained or 
lost, being part of the final result. It was, indeed, "the soldier's 
battle," for it was the fixed determinaticm of the soldiers to hold 
the ground that counted for more than any skilful manoeuvres of 
military art or the best tactical methods. Buford's two brigades 
of cavuby fouglit and held in check H(>th's Division, ard when 
Jiuford was relieved, the First Corps fought Heth's and Pender's 



*Jolin C. Hopes'. "Tlio Canipaigu under Pope. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. .33 

Divisions. When the Eleventh Corps came to the front it met 
Rodes' and Early's Divisions, and then the rig-lit of the First Corps 
also became eng-aged with these strong Divisions. Meredith's 
Brigade of the First Division of the First Corps captured part of 
Archer's Brigade, Cutler's Brigade captm-ed part of Davis' Brig- 
ade, Baxter's Brigade of the Second Division of the First Corps 
captured part of Iverson's Brigade of Bodes' Division of Ewell's 
Corps. Meredith's Brigade fought in turn the whole or part of 
Archer's, Pettigrew's, Brockenbrough's and Daniel's Brigades. 

Stone's Brigade and the Sixth Wisconsin, Ninety-fifth New 
York and Fourteenth New York fought Davis' and Daniel's Bri- 
gades, and the Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania and the Seventy-sixth New 
Y^'ork also encountered them, while Baxter's and Cutler's Bri- 
gades were pitted against the brigades of Iversou, O'Neal and Piam- 
seur. Of the artillery engaged on the first day, the record is 
one of ]3re-eminent service. Tidball's Horse Battery, under Lieu- 
tenant Calef, fought almost unaided, and the batteries of the 
First Corps bore the brunt of a largely superior number and 
weight of guns ; Cooper's Battery B, First Pennsylvania Light 
Ai-tillery, Stevens' Fifth Maine, Pveynolds' L, First New York, 
Stewart's B, Fourth United States, and of the Eleventh Corps, 
Wiedrich's I, First New York, Dieckmann's Thirteenth New York 
Light Artillery, Wilkeson's G, Fourth United States, Dilger's 
I and Heckman's K, First Ohio Light Artillery, greatly helped 
to secure the weak Union forces from the strong Confederate 
lines that steadily gathered there confident of success. Paul's 
Brigade captured part of several brigades of Pender's Division. 
Stone's Brigade of the Third Division fought in turn Davis' Bri 
gade of Heth's Division, Daniel's Brigade of Rodes' Division and 
Scales' Brigade of Pender's Division. Biddle's Brigade of the 
Third Division on the extreme left, fought Pettigrew's and Mc- 
Gowan's Brigades of Heth's Division, while Brockenbrougli's and 
Lane's and Scales' extended the Confederate line and overlapped 
the Union left, just as Early's Brigades overlapped the Union 
right. There Barlow's Division fought Gordon's, Hays' and 
Avery's Brigades, and Ames" fought Doles' and Daniels', and 
the right of the First Corps, Baxter and Cutler, and the left of 
the Eleventh, fought Iverson's, Daniel's, Doles', Ramseur's and 
O'Neal's Brigades. Coster's Brigade of Steinwehr's Division was 
pitted against Hays' and Hoke's and Ramseur's Brigades. While 
the First Corps was put in almost to the last man, and the Elev- 
enth Corps had only a Aveak reserve on Cemetery Hill, the Con- 
federates had two divisions, Johnson's of Ewell's, and Anderson's 
3 



34 Pcnnsijlvania at Getiyshurg. 

of Hills Corps, estimated by General Fitz. Lee at over 10,000 
each, and the foiu- divisions that had been engaged, Heth's, Pen- 
ders, Rodes" and Early's, at the close of the action, at over 4,500 
each. The First Corps then was reduced from 9,000 to 3,000, and 
the part of the Eleventh Corps actually engaged from 6,000 to 
3,800. The actual losses of the Union forces on the first day were 
proportionally far heavier than those of the Union Army on the 
other days of the three days of fighting, and both Union and 
Confederate forces on the first day lost more heavily than on 
almost any other battlefield. The Second Corps lost 4,350 out 
of 10,500 engaged, over 42 per cent., in the battles of the second 
and third days; the Third Corps lost 4,210 out of less than 10,000 
actually engaged on the second day, 42 per cent. ; the Fifth Corps 
lost 2,187 out of 11,000, less than 20 per cent.; the Sixth Corps 
lost only 242, for it was wisely held in reserve ; the Twelfth Corps 
lost 1,801 out of 8,000; on the Confederate side on the first day, 
Heth lost 2,850 out of 7,000, 40 per cent. Pender lost 1,690 out 
of 7,000 : Early lost 1,188, and Rodes 2,853 out of their divisions 
which went into action each 8,000 ; 35 per cent, for the latter, and 
about 12 per cent, for the former. 

Pickett's loss in his famous charge was 65 per cent., 2,888, of 
of which 232 were killed, 1,157 wounded and 1,499 captured or 
or missing ; but on the first day the Iron Brigade lost over 60 per 
cent., and Biddle's Brigade, and Stone's Brigade lost nearly 70 
per cent. each. The First Corps with six brigades, and the 
Eleventh with five, fought eight brigades of Hill's Corps and nine 
of Ewell's, and yet at the close of the first day, the fresh troops 
of Lee's Ariny were held off from gathering the fruits of their 
hard-earned success by the strength of the forces before them and 
those placed on the right and left. Even Wadsworth's Division, 
beaten and outnumbered, still held on to Culp's Hill, and prevented 
Ewell from seizing it. Thus, too, Buford's little cavalry force 
made sufficient demonstration on the flanks to arrest the Con- 
federate advance, and even the Union guns at the foot of Semi- 
nary Ridge, manned by the men of the Iron Brigade, though hard 
pressed, were safely withdrawn. Thus the Union forces were out- 
numbered and forced to retreat, but neithcn- dismayed nor driven 
ofi' hastily. Tlius, too, was gained tlu^ practical fruits of the first 
day's battle, in the rapid concentration of Meade's Ai-my on tlie 
position in the rear of Gettysburg, where General Meade turned 
liis oirensive dc^fensc into a final repulse and defeat of Lee's Arm3^ 
It was the first day that prepared the Avay for this result, and 
dearly purchased as it was, the price Avas none too great to pay 



Pennsylvania at Getty shiir<j. 35 

for the infinite advantage. There is glory enough for all who took 
part in the battle of Gettysburg, but for those who fought on the 
first day there is the special glory of having fought against over- 
whelming numbers, and yet with such firmness and pertinacity 
that the forward movement of Lee's Army was arrested, time 
secured for the arrival and concentration of Meade's Army, and 
the expected easy onset of the Confederates resisted afc every point. 
To the events of the first day is largely due tlu^ final issue of the 
battle of Gettysburg, and therefore it deserves a special record 
to-day here. 

No one thinks of limiting the significance of the battle of Get- 
tysburg to the spot where it was fought, yet the fact that the field 
of battle lies within the limits of the State of Peinisylvania im- 
poses a special duty which has always been fully recognized. As 
far back as 1864 the Battle-field Memorial Association was or- 
ganized to secure the ownership of the ground. State after state 
has joined in the solemn duty of marking, by permanent memo- 
rials, the position of every organization, and the dedication ser- 
vices have been memorable for eloquence and pathos. The State 
of Pennsylvania now marks the final act of a long series of legis- 
lative and executive measures, by inviting the veteran soldiers of 
all its organizations that took part in the great battle, to join in 
this reunion, and to set the seal of approval on its work, ^y its 
generous aid and under the watchful care of a Commission com- 
posed of able officers, every one of its eighty-six organizations 
vAW be represented on the field by suitable memorials of its ser- 
vices here. Let us gratefully acknowledge the way in which the 
State of Pennsylvania has recognized and fulfilled its obligation. 
It has freely given money, and more than that, the Governor and 
the Commission appointed by him, have given time and thought, 
and have fulfilled to general satisfaction, a long, difiicult and deli- 
cate task. The Commission closes its report with an urgent appeal 
for a memorial of General Meade and his great services. Let us 
heartily second that appeal. The same honor, too, is due to Gen- 
eral Hancock. Great as is the work that has been done in mak- 
ing Gettysburg a permanent historical record in bronze and gran- 
ite, that record is incomplete until statues of Meade and Han- 
cock are placed on the field where the great victory was Avon. 
History has enrolled their names high on the list of those who 
deserved well of their country, and in its great and growing pros- 
perity the country should not fall short in paying the tribute 
due them here. Meade and his able lieutenants earned here the 
gratitude of the nation, and he and they should stand forever in 



36 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

liviug- brouze, keeping- watch and ward over the memorials of 
their soldiers. 

The men of the First Corps put Reynolds' statue here in mem- 
or}^ of their deep sense of his g-reat qualities, and of the affec- 
tion that endeared him to his soldiers. The first day's battle 
was larg-ely due to his inspiration, and his spirit ruled the field 
long after his dead body had been borne from it. To his succes- 
sor in command there, sent in answer to Buford's warning- note, 
'there seems no commanding officer here,' to Ha»ncock, both for 
his services in the closing hours of the first day, in snatching the 
substantial fruits of victory from the enemy, and for his still 
more shining successes on the succeeding days of the battle, 
there is still due the acknowledgment best to be made in a bronze 
heroic statue. Then to complete the work, Meade himself should 
stand here, that the long list of memorials on the field he won, 
should at last be completed by one worthy of the great comman- 
der. That done, and only then, may we feel that the history of 
Gettysburg is finally told in bronze and granite, and that to all 
justice has been fully meted out. 

Yesterday we dedicated our regimental monuments, to-day we 
recall the operations of each of the three days of the great bat- 
tle. Honor has been duly paid to the organizations that fought 
here. Here stands the statue of Reynolds. There at Round 
Top is the statue of Warren. We look in vain for Meade and 
Hancock. Their names are forever associated with Gettysbm^g, 
and it is due to them, to the men who fought under them, that 
here at Gettysbury due honor should be paid them. Until that 
is done, we cannot feel that the task is yet complete. Let us then 
see to it that before another Pennsylvania Day is celebrated, the 
statues of Meade and Hancock shall be put in place here. That 
done, then indeed, will the work be completed, and Gettysburg 
will no longer need the crowning memorial that is still wanting. 
In leaving Gettysbm-g let us all bend our best energies to the 
rcMjuisite measures for securing suitable honors to Meade and 
Hancock, and may we meet here at no distant day to join in un- 
veiling their statues on the field forever connected with their 
names. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 37 

THE SECOND AND THIRD DAYS JULY 2 and 3, 1863. 
Brevet Bkioadiek-Genekal Henky H. Bingham. 

IN the great metropolis of the nation but a few months ago, 
amid joy and thanksgiving, speech and song, peace and pros- 
perity, hallelujah and praj'^er, the official representatives of the 
people and assembled thousands of the populace, celebrated the 
centennial of the inauguration of George Washington, first Presi- 
dent of the United States. A government of the people, by the 
people and for the people, liberty for all, but exacting loyalty 
from all, the American Republic had lived one hundred years. 
Our Declaration of Independence was a masterful reality, our con- 
stitution a matchless charter of freedom, and that God inspired 
utterance that three millions of patriots gave to mankind and 
humanity : " We, the people of the United States, in order to form 
a more perfect Union, establish justice,insure domestic tranquillity, 
provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and 
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our prosperity, 
do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States," 
found at the incoming of the second century, sixty-five millions 
of freemen, "a family at peace among ourselves," who could with 
reverent acclaim send greeting to the generations to come and 
with bended knee and uplifted eyes, in spirit humble, but voice 
firm and unwavering, declare, "AVe have fought a good fight, 
we have kept the faith, glory to God in the highest, on earth 
peace, good will toward men." We are to-day a happy people. 
A constitution preserved, the integrity of the Union maintained — 
liberty and law our cloud liy day and pillar of fire by night. But 
the path has been no easy one to follow ; the roses that have lined 
the way have had many thorns, and their colors have been darkly 
red, and on the hill side and in the valley, the unnumbered and 
nameless graves with monumental shafts and simple stones, cover 
all that remains of a patriot dead who saci'ificed their all for 
human rights, that here assembled to-day, we "May hail the 
coming centurj' Avith hope and joy." 

The limitations of the constitution, the integrity and indepen- 
dence of the states, the legislation enacted by the sovereig-n Con. 
g-ress, the statutes enforced within the borders of the common- 
wealths, the discussions in church and from the public rostrum upon 



38 Fennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

the construction of our fundamental law, tlie variety and diversity of 
interests in our indiistries and large communities; labor in its 
many forms and conditions, all, all contributed to consummate, 
upon the election and inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, that 
physical and moral climax of forces, known in our history as the 
War of the Kebellion or the American Civil War of 1861-1865. It 
was the greatest war of modern times. Its field of operation meas- 
ured almost a continent in territory ; eight hundred millions of treas- 
ure — a people's toil, but paid its living moving needs — its dead 
and dying reached six hundred thousand men and permanentlj^ 
disabled and destroyed the health of over one million more — it 
covered a land with widows and orphans — it begot suffering never 
to be estimated and privations countless; it exhibited bravery 
unparalleled, courage and endurance unsurpassed ; its leadership 
was magnificent, its soldiery heroic. Such was the nation's 
tragedy of the nineteenth century in which you played so well 
your part. Greatest of all, in the fulness of time it came, be- 
cause in the destiny of our civilization and national life it had to 
come that American constitutional liberty might live — "The 
Union, one and inseparable, now and forever." 

Amen to the might}^ sacrifices — amen and all hail the mightier 
consummation. 

The contending armies cover bodies of men in action and bat- 
tle, in suffering and slaughter, in camp and hospital almost be- 
yond human conception or understanding. The Union forces 
enrolled during the four years number two millions seven hun- 
dred and seventy-two thousand four hundred and eight men 
(2,772,408) and estimated upon a basis of three years' service, 
2,320,272, or about two thousand regiments. 

The Confederate armies from the best attainable sources are 
estimated at 700,000 for the period of the war, or 786 regiments 
on the ten-company basis. 

The military population of the states on the Union side was 
4,559,872, and from the eleven states of the Confederacy 1,064,193. 

There were killed or died of wounds on the Union side — 

Officers, (5,865 

Enlisted Men, 103,705 

.Aggregate, 110,070 

Died of disease on tlie Union side^ 

Officers, 2,712 

Enlisted Men, 197,008 

Aggregate 199,720 



Pennsylvania at Getf.yshurg. 39 

Making- the grand aggreg-ate from all (causes during the war 
359,528, or 15.4 of the entire arm}'. 

There were 275,175 wounded, but not mortally. 

The estimated loss of the killed or mortally wounded in battle 
on the Confederate side was 94,000, and death from disease 59,297. 

The Union army embraced volunteers from every condition of 
our industrial life, but the grand measure of obligation belongs 
to that people Avho in everj' contest for freedom have ever been 
foremost. 

Eorty-eig-ht per cent, were farmers, twenty-four per cent, me- 
chanics, sixteen per cent, laborers, five per cent, commercial pur- 
suits, three per cent, professional men, four per cent, miscella- 
neous. 

Nationality formed a distinctive feature. The great body of 
foreigners, Avho from the days of our Revolution, have done so 
much to develop our industries and add to our wealth, strength 
and vigor as a people, responded quickly to the call for troops, 
and fought bravely through the long war. 

Three-fourths of the armj^ were native Americans. Of the 
500,000 soldiers of foreign birth, Germany furnished 175,000; 
Ireland, 150,000 ; England, 50,000 ; British America, 50,000; other 
countries, 75,000. 

Coming late into active warfare, but when once a part of the 
army rendering- valuable and distinguished service, we find the 
enlistment of the black troops to have reached the large number 
of 178,975, and their deaths from all causes to have been 36,847. 

The Republic has remembered their services and in the battles 
of the future they wall enter at the commencement of every 
struggle for freedom. 

There were one hundred and twelve battles in Avhich one side 
or the other lost over five hundred men killed and wounded, and 
in all there were one thousand eight hundred and eighty-two 
g-eneral eng-agements, l)attles, skirmishes or affairs in which at 
least one reg-iment was eng-aged. Every state of the United 
States and every territory sent volunteers to the Union Armj'. 

Such briefly were the physical and statistical conditions of the 
two great forces fighting for the supremacy of their principles 
and moral ideas, accepting- in the arbitrament of arms the final 
determination of the issues involved. 

This mighty host — these millions who fought the fight, the 
hundreds of thousands who fell, and the million w^ho were broken 
down in health and streng-th, came willing-ly — came for the war 
shouting-, •' We are coming, father Abraham, five hundred thou- 



•to Pemisylvcmia at Gettysburg. 

stiud more." Yen they canie and broug-ht final victory — not sim- 
ply the applause of the multitude from all over the land — not 
alone the trophies of war — torn battle-flag's and smoking- guns, 
but they brought final victory fvdl and complete. 

Our C oust itutio) till (rovernmeid saved- — saved not only to the 
victors but to the vanquished. Saved to be loved and honored, 
revered, respected and obeyed by all. A quarter of a century 
has iiassed and truly can we say as Milton said of Cromwell, 
"That war made him g-reat, peace greater." 

Throug-hout the leng-th and breadth of this great common- 
wealth a loud appealing- voice ring's out — "Watchman, what of 
the nigflit?" The nation Avants help! and lo, the answer comes 
from mountains and valleys, from the fields ripe with the waving 
g-olden grain ; from the centers of trade, commerce and manufac- 
ture ; from the loom, the anvil and the workshop ; from the 
bench, the bar and the pulpit ; from the schools and coUeg-es of 
learning- and science — from youth and age, from every condition 
of American manhood — "All's Avell, Pennsylvania will give her 
bravest and best, the strongest and most faithful of her sons." 

Call the roll : 315,017 white soldiers, 8,612 black soldiers, 14,307 
sailors and marines, aggregating 337,936. 

Sixty -five and nine-tenths of the military population, averaged 
upon the basis of three year's service, they numbered 265,517, 
embraced in two hundred and fifteen regimental organizations. 
Of the three hundred regiments in the Union army that sustained 
the heaviest losses in battle, including every regiment in service 
which lost over one hundred and thirty killed or died of wounds 
during the war, fifty-three are grouped from Pennsylvania. Thir- 
ty-seven Pennsylvania regiments lost in killed and died of wounds 
in battle over ten per cent, of their total enrolment. 

Of the forty-five regiments in the Union army that lost over 
two hundred men killed or mortally wounded in the action, eleven 
are from Pennsylvania. 

Of the twenty -two regiments in the Union army where the loss 
of killed or died of wounds during the war reached fifteen per 
cent, or upwards of their enrolment, five are from Pennsylvania. 

They have the following order: 

4th — One Hundred and Fortieth Pennsylvania Volunteei's, 17.4. 

9th — One Hundred and Forty-second Peanisylvania Volunteers, 
16.5. 

10th — One Hundred and Forty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
16.1. 



Pennsylvania at GeUjisburcj. 41 

12tli — One Huudrcxl and Forty-eio-hth Pennsylvania Volun- 
teers, 15. G. 

1 3tli— Eig-hty-tliird Pennsylvania Volunteers, 15.5. 

Thirty -three thousand one hundred and eig-hty-three ag-a^reg-ate 
the number of deaths (woimds and disease) from all causes — an 
averag-e of 15.4 of the troops furnished. 

The percentage of killed in action of the soldiers from the 
Keystone State, based upon the white troops, is greater than in 
the quota of any other northern state. 

The cavalry of Pennsylvania being- specially disting-uished, 
exceeding- in losses that of the cavalry of any other state. 

These brave men who foug-ht so g-allantly were Pennsylvania's 
sons. The}' are all around us here to-day where they fell. They 
are buried in the sleeping- homes of the nation's dead, and in the 
resting- places where loving- eyes can watch and loving- tears can 
ever water their g-raves. You, the living- soldiers here with us, 
equally brave, have quietly melted into the peaceful walks of life 
ever performing^ full duty as American citizens. 

Pennsylvania g-ave you all to the nation, and when you Avore 
the honored blue, however much you loved your state, you be- 
came the soldiers of the Union. 

But the time was near in the mighty contest when you, the 
living-, and the thousands dead, were to be marshalled upon the 
hills and valleys of your loyal state and in a death strug-gle, fig-ht 
the greatest battle of the war and contest in the most important 
strategic issue of the age, for it was upon this field — this Gettys- 
burg " that the star of the Confederacy reaching the zenith 
turned by swift and head-long plunges toward the nadir of outer 
darkness and collapse." 

Waterloo and Gettysburg are marked as the two great battles 
of the age. 

The Union army numbered 82,000 men and 300 guns ; the Con- 
federate numbered 70,000 men and 250 guns; the battle lasted 
three days and the casualties upon the Union side were 23,003, 
and upon the Confederate 27,525 .men. 

In detail the Union cause lost 3,063 killed, 14,492 wounded, 
and 5,435 missing or captured ; many of the wounded and many 
of the captured died. No authentic details are available for the 
Confederate side. 

Pennsylvania's bravery upon this field embraces 26,G28 men ; 
in detail, sixty-eight regiments of infantry, eight regiments of 
cavalry, and five batteries of artillery. 



42 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

The killed and mortally wounded are 67 officers, and 964 men, 
1,031 total. 

The g-eneral casualties number 5,907. 

We are g-lad to be here to-day to aid in the serious and patri- 
otic ceremonies that will contribute to make this hallowed ground 
immortal. This large gathering of the living remnant of a brave 
soldiery; these representatives of civil authority ; these organi- 
zations of loyal devotion to comradeship ; this gathering of vast 
numbers upon the hillsides — the military display in blue, these 
flags and guns and all the paraphernalia of war, these s])eechless 
mounds and numberless graves, these monuments that proclaim 
a history, all attest the greatness and fitness of this occasion. 
We are glad to be here. How the scene has changed. What is 
it now ? Cemetery Hill and the Ridge, Gulp's Hill, Round Top, 
Peach Orchard and Devil's Den — What it was! No one man 
living or dead ever saw. You were here, but the fight was every- 
where. No pen can write, no tongue describe, no artist's brush 
or pencil picture. In the years to come impartial history will 
place in imperishable record the best adjustment of all contro- 
A^ersies and conflicting statements. Let us hope that is best. 
Better that those of us who were a part, shall hold its bloody 
record as a memory, and treasure the heroic deeds of our comrades, 
as the needed sacrifices for " nobler modes of life and purer laws." 
But " with malice toward none, with charity for all," we can 
quickly pass in review some of the fearful work of those never- 
to-be-forgotten days. 

Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania, was the first determined ad- 
vance to plant his standards and entire army upon free soil, and 
passing over the Susquehanna to capture the capital of our state, 
and Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, where great treasure 
could be demanded and exacted from these cities of wealth. 

Once having estaljlished a foothold, recognition would quickly 
be accorded by foreign nations. 

He came upon our fruitful borders and entered our rich domain, 
with banners flying and all the surroundings of a conquering 
hero. His army marshaled a leadership experienced in warfare, 
possessed of the highest military capacity, and a soldiery ripe 
from the victories of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, bold, 
aggressive, disciplined, and feeling the spirit of invincibility. 
They came to do or die. To fight and to stay. The great loyal 
North Jcneiv their j»irpose of invasion and trembled. The Army 
of the Potomac, strong in numbers, wearied and worn with long 
marching, remembering the severe recent defeats and hard blows 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 48 

received in Virg"iuia, lacked that morale aud enthusiastic confi- 
dence that had been its companion on many a hard-foug-ht field. 
But when the army knew the next clash of arms was to be on 
the soil of Pennsylvania — their home and heritage — like a giant, 
conscious of streng-th, and restive for a final struggle, they forg-ot 
defeat and weariness, and lifting- up their voices sang- songs of vic- 
tory as they moved in compact form on marches forced and long-. 

The chang-e in the command of the army had just reached the 
men, and with unswerving- judgment and soldierly instinct they 
knew and felt that in General Meade the army could confidently 
trust and safely fig-ht ; a confidence merited and deserved. The 
battle of the first of July is over, and along- the many roads con- 
verg-ing- upon these hills the Union Army is lapidly marching-, 
lig-hted by the full moon and cooled by the soft air of the summer 
nig-ht. 

General Meade reaches the field about midnight ; conferences 
with Hancock, Howard and others follow, then an immediate in- 
spection of the field, to be renewed at four (4) a. m., when the 
first rays of daylight appear. There has been no delay, no evi- 
dence of uncertainty, the battle is to be fought here and the 
troops are all marching on. 

A supreme struggle known to soldiers and general. The troops 
arrive and by 9 a. m., with the exception of the Sixth Army 
Corps, not far away, the dispositions are made — great expedition 
creditable to Meade and his soldiers. 

On the Union side, the right wing composed of the Twelfth 
Corps with Wadsworth's Division of the First Corps, based itself 
on the rough and wooded eminence of Culp's Hill. The Eleventh 
Corps with E-obinson's and Doubleday's Divisions of the First 
Corps held Cemetery Hill. The prolongation of the line to the 
left along the crest of Cemetery Ridge was occupied by Han- 
cock's Second Corps ; the Third Corps, under Sickles, formed the 
left wing running from Hancock's fiank to liound Top. The 
Fifth Corps had upon its arrival taken position on the right, in 
reserve. On the Confederate side Lougstreet held the right, 
(opposite Sickles) his troops drawn along the Avell-wooded line 
of Seminary Ridge ; Hill's Corps continued the line along the 
same ridge to the Seminary, opposite the Union center, and 
Ewell's Corps, the Confederate left, stretched from the Seminary 
through the town and enveloped the base of Culp's Hill. 

Thus face the two giants that are to meet in a deadly contest — 
a grapple that will know no yielding save in defeat. 

There seems to be some misunderstanding about the line Gen 



44 Pennsylvmiia at Gettysburg. 

eral Sickles has taken. His troops are seeu advancing-, and as 
he moves forward they are leavin^: Hancock's left and a large gap 
is plainly visible, and Sickles' left is in advance of Round Top 
and an angle is made with Hancock's line instead of a compact 
prolongation. Is the army to chang-e its left line, or are all to 
move further forward, is the inquiry of men and commanders ? 
The sight was a grand one, that marching mass of trained brave 
men ; they looked invincible, although something seemed not 
rig-ht, for many horsemen were ridings rapidly in all directions, 
while the movement afforded a large part of the army the oppor- 
tunity to see the power of a compact force. 

Meade rides rapidly up to the ridge accompanied by Sickles : 
an earnest conversation follows concerning the advanced position 
of the troops. Meade, before the Committee on the Conduct of 
AVar, states : " I told him it was not the position I had expected 
him to take ; that he had advanced his line beyond the support 
of my army, and I was very fearful he would be attacked and 
lose the artillery which he had put so far to the front, before I 
could support it. General Sickles expressed regret that he 
should have occupied a position which did not meet with my ap- 
proval, and he very promptly said that he would withdraw his 
forces to the line which I had intended him to take. He could 
see the ridge by turning around which I had intended him to 
take, but I told him I was fearful that the enemy would not al- 
low him to withdraw, and that there was no time for any further 
change or movement. Before I had finished that remark the 
enemy's batteries opened upon him and the action commenced." 

Lee had resoh'ed to attack the Union line — his own words are as 
follows : "It was determined to make the principal attack upon the 
enemy's left, and endeavor to be in a position from which it was 
thought that our artillery could be brought to bear with effect. 
LoDgstreet was directed to place the divisions of Hood and McLaws 
on right of Hill, partially enveloping the enemy's left which he was 
to drive in. General Hill was ordered to threaten the eneny 's center 
to prevent reinforcements from being drawn to either wing, and co- 
operate Avith his right division in Longstreet's attack. General 
Ewell was instructed to make a simultaneous demonstration upon 
the enemy's right, to be converted into a real attack should 
opportunity offer." 

The battle has opened, and as Longstreet has been observed 
by the troops posted in the orchard, our artillery opens and ere 
long the musketry fire grows fiercer. 

The attack falls upon Sickles' line, the left front, just where it 
recedes from Sherfy's Peach Orchard on the Emmitsburg road. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 45 

DeTrobriand and Ward's Brig-ades, of Biruey's Division, hold 
this line. The attack is boldly made, and the strug-^-le becomes 
close and unyielding-. The enemy's line laps the left flank of the 
Third Corps by about two brigades, and at once it is apparent 
the effort will be to scale the sides of Round Top and gain pos- 
session of this, the key to our line. As the battle grows in 
fierceness and intensity, additional troops are continually arriv- 
ing-. Meade, upon leaving- Sickles, had ordered to the left Cald- 
well's brave division of the Second Corps, and troops of the 
Fifth Corps are already arriving- on the field. 

Brig-ade upon brig-ade go in and come out — all around Round 
Top, Peach Orchard, Devil's Den, Plum Run, Emmitsburg road 
and the Wheat Field. 

The battle opening at four o'clock p. m., on the extreme left, 
had extended towards the town, until by six o'clock every Confed- 
erate brigade had advanced from the line of battle on Seminary 
Ridge, including that of Law's, on the extreme right of General 
Lee's line, opposite Round Top, to Wright's Brigade, which had 
attacked Gibbon's Division on Hancock's center, and the whole 
intervening country from the Devil's Den, on the base of Round 
Top, to and above Codori's house, on the Emmitsbm-g road, 
was filled with a struggling mass of armed men. 

The demons of war have been at their terrible work. Horn- 
seems to follow hour, but there is no cessation to the booming 
cannon and the rolling of musketry. Wounded men are continu- 
ally coming back, yet the lines hold their own only to break and 
re-form and again attack. Birney's, Graham's and Humphreys' 
troops have fought hard, and Caldwell's Division of four brigades 
have, under a scathing fire, struggled long and valiantly. Sykes, 
of the Fifth Corjjs, has brought into action four of his brigades, 
and others, under Barnes, Ay res and Crawford, are soon to follow 
and do good work. Williams has been ordered from the right, 
and closely follows the Fifth Corps. A mass of troops are on 
the left, and our line is now strong where it was once so weak. 

Our losses are appalling. Graham falls wounded, and is in the 
hands of the enemy. The brave Sickles has received a ball in 
the leg, and he has been carried off the field. Hancock is as- 
signed to the command of the corps. Cross and Zook, of Cald- 
well's Division, are killed, and AVillard dies bravely. Thousands 
of men are hors-de-comhat. Brave Humphreys, in obedience to 
Birney, completes his movement to fall back from his advanced 
position, and displays that cool intrepidity and courage that has 
ever marked his able generalship. He reaches his line at last, but 



•i(j Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

half of his gallant force have fallen. Crawford's Pennsylvania 
Reserves, and a part of Hays' Division do g-ood work; and Hunt, 
intelligent and watchful soldier, with his reserve artillery, has 
strengthened the line. Men are worn out with the fury of the 
fight; the dead are everywhere; the wounded legion. Night at 
last comes, and around the Devil's Den, Peach Orchard, Round 
Top and the "Wheat Field and woods where the battle boiled 
and bubbled like a seething cauldron, the worn-out and exhausted 
soldiers slept side by side ^\ith their comrades dead. 

The battle on the left for the day is over. The blazing sun has 
sunk to rest and night takes pity and shadows all, that the fear- 
ful slaughter may cease. Errors of judgment may have been 
committed — other disposition of troops may have been wiser, 
and our lines may have been located giving us greater strength 
and greater resistance. But that is passed ; no battle of the war 
exhibited greater bravery on the part of officers and men, than 
that which clustered around and ujjon Little Round Top and the 
now famous fields and woods upon our left. 

The losses of the Third Corps were very great. The men 
fought and died, and then seemed to rise up and strike again. 
Brave Warren, whose rare military judgement and quickness of 
action saved Round Top, and Weed, Vincent, O'Rorke and Haz- 
lett, who, after heroic and magnificent work, yielded up their 
lives to hold this important citadel, will ever be held in the special 
honor and love. Brave men; none braver on that memorable 
field. Round Top will yet be crowned with their monuments in 
bronze and stone. 

Up to a late hour the entire right of our line, extending from 
Cemetery Hill to and over Culp's Hill, had remained unassaulted 
except by the sharp artillery fire from batteries on Benner's Hill, 
but they were eventually silenced by the splendid practice of 
Union guns on East Cemetery Hill. 

Wadsworth's Division of the First Corps, had occupied the 
nortliern face of Culp's Hill the night before, and early on the 
morning of the second, Geary's Division of the Twelfth Corps 
had moved over from its position, north of Little Round Top, 
and formed on AVadsworth's right, extending down the south- 
eastern face of the hill; and a little later Williams' Division, 
commanded by General Ruger, marched over from Wolf's Hill 
Avliere it had spent the night, and formed on Geary's right, ex- 
tending the line in a zig-zag course to Spangler's meadow at the 
base of the hill. 

Notwithstanding these troops had not been molested during 



Pennsylvania at Geffi/sbiny. 47 

the day, they had not been idle. Immediately on takin^:: that 
position, a line of breastworks had been commenced, which by 
nightfall were sufficient to afford the troops ample protection. 
When, however, the condition of the battle on the left assumed 
such threatening- proportion. General Meade called on ( reneral 
Slocum, commanding- the rig-ht center, for troops to go to the as- 
sistance of the left, and General Williams, temporarily command- 
ing- the corps, was ordered to send his own division, commanded 
by General Ruger. These troops moved out of their works ac- 
companied by Lockwood's Brigade, and were led by General 
AVilliams in person to the scene of action, arriving, however, after 
the severe fighting was over, and only Lockwood's Brigade was 
temporarily engaged. In the meantime General Slocum had or- 
dered Geary to send two brigades of his division to the same 
destination; and Candy's and Kane's Brigades, under the per- 
sonal command of General Geary, started for the same destina- 
tion, but through some unexplained error they marched down 
the Baltimore pike to and beyond Bock creek, when they threw 
out pickets, leaving only Greene's Brigade to hold the long line 
of works built and occupied by the entire corps. As these 
brigades moved out General Greene commenced to deploy the 
One Hundi'ed and Thirty-seventh New York Volunteers in that 
portion of the works vacated by Kane's Brigade. At the same 
time that the Twelfth Corjas troops were being withdrawn, John- 
son's Division of Ewell's Corps advancing from beyond Benner's 
Hill, moved to attack the Twelfth Corps' jDOsition on Gulp's Hill, 
Steuart's Brigade assaulting Kane's position at the moment 
when the One Hundred and Thirty- seventh New York was being 
deployed in the works, and although stoutly resisted, Steuart 
occupied the position and his brigade spent the night inside the 
Union works. Although Greene's position was previously as- 
saulted, he successfully repulsed every attack, assisted by several 
First and Eleventh Corps regiments sent to him by General 
Wadsworth, and by ten o'clock at night the battle ended. In the 
meantime General Kane, hearing the sound of battle, returned 
^vith his command, and although fired upon by Steuart's men 
when he attempted to go to his old position, he eventually 
reached it by a circuitous route and occupied a strong position 
among the rocks on Greene's right, and by midnight Col. Candy's 
Brigade also returned and extended General Kane's line. When 
Ruger's Division and Lockwood's Brigade returned on finding 
their works occupied by the enemy, they took up a position on 
the open fields facing the woods, except Colgrove's Brigade, 



48 Pennsylvania at Geityshunj. 

which moved over to the east side of Spangler's meadows. While 
this contest was taking- place, Generals Slocum and Williams were 
attending" a council of war at General Meade's headquarters. 

On returning and learning the state of affairs General Slocum 
at once ordered his artillerj'^ in position to command the works 
occupied by the enemy, and at 4.30 a. m. it opened fire. 

In the meantime General Johnson had been reinforced by Gen- 
eral AValker's Brigade of his own division, and Daniel's and 
O'Neal's Brigades of Major-General Bodes' Division, and when 
Slocum's artiller}^ opened fire, Johnson having no artillery in po- 
sition with which to reply, ordered an attack by his infantry all 
along the line. A counter-attack was made by General Williams, 
and the battle raged with varied success until near eleven o'clock, 
by which time the enemy was driven out and the orig-inal line 
I'estored. 

Almost simultaneously with Johnson's attack on Gulp's Hill, 
Hays' and Hoke's Brigades of Early's Division charged Barlow's 
division, Adelbert Ames in command, in position on East Ceme- 
tery Hill. The crest of the hill was occupied by Wiedrich's, 
Bicketts' and Beynolds' Batteries, while Stewart's Battery, also on 
the hill, was trained on Baltimore street leading from the town. 
But the most important position, a shoulder on the west side of 
Gulp's Hill, since called Stevens' Knoll, was occuj)ied by the 
Fifth Maine Battery commanded by Lieutenant Whittier. 

The assault was made at the dusk of evening and was not ob- 
sei'ved until the enemy was far advanced. Colonel Wainwrig-ht, 
chief of First Corps artillery, directed his batteries to open fire, 
but unfortunately the guns were so placed that they could not 
be depressed, and, notwithstanding the terrible fiank fire by the 
Fifth Maine Battery, the infantry giving- way, the enemy was 
soon among the guns. Wiedrich's Battery was captured and one 
or two of Bicketts' guns were spiked. At this juncture General 
Hancock dispatched the brave and fearless General Carroll with 
his gallant brigade to the scene of action. General Carroll 
immediately led his troops forward attacked the enemy, and 
assisted by some Eleventh Corps troops quickly restored the line 
and recaptured the guns when the battle ended for the night. 

Before the firing had ceased on the Union right, on the second 
of July, General Meade hastened to his headquarters and called his 
council of war — a gathering of the ablest and greatest leaders 
that had ever commanded the corjDS of the Potomac Army. 
Slocum, Sedgwick, Hancock, Howard, Newton, Sykes, Birney, 
Williams, Gibbon, Buttcrfield, were all present. The conclusion 



Pennsylvania at GeMyshny'j. 49 

■was soon reached. " Remain in the present position and await 
the enemy's attack." Out of 52 infantry brigades, 42 had been 
eng-ag-ed and 36 seriously. The corps comma,uders reported 
about 58,000 men for the next day's fight. 

The losses during the day crippled, perhaps, the Union side 
the least, but the enemy had gained great advantages. On their 
right the Confederates had secured a lodgment on the bases of 
the Round Tops, possession of Devil's Den, and the ridges on 
the Emmitsburg road, a valuable position for artillery. 

On the left an occupation of part of the intrenchments of the 
Twelfth Corps with an outlet to the Baltimore pike, by which all 
of our lines could be taken in reverse. At the center, partial 
success, effecting- no lodgment because they lacked proper sup- 
port. Lee recognized the value and importance of the advan- 
tag-es he had secured, and having had engaged but seventeen 
out of his thirty-seven brigades of infantry, he felt confident a 
great victory could have been gained, if his orders had been 
obeyed and his generals had co-operated. 

The morale and discipline of his men were excellent — they 
wanted to fight and looked forward to a victory on the morrow. 
Lee's languag-e is as follows: "The operations of the second of 
July induced the belief that with proper concert of action, and 
with the increased support which the positions gained on the 
right would enable the artillery to render the assaiilting columns, 
we should ultimately succeed, and it was, accordingly, determined 
to continue the attack." 

The same bright moon that had lighted the way of the thou- 
sands of brave soldiers, gayly singing their songs of triumph as 
they marched, July first, to these memorable fields, shone out 
again with equal brilliancy, upon scenes of activity and unceas- 
ing labor. The wounded were carried to the rear and the lines 
re-formed among" the dead, too numerous to be cared for. Sleep 
came to the eyes of few. It required the vigor of youth to with- 
stand the strain. 

Throughout the loyal states consternation was in the minds 
and fear in the eyes of men. The Army of the Potomac had suf- 
fered reverses on the first and second of July, and nothing- save 
that shattered and worn army stood between the march of Lee's 
victorious legions and the great cities of the North. 

The Sixth Corps supplies reserves to various parts of the line. 
The Fifth Corps, on the left, extends itself so as to occupy the 
acclivities of Great Round Top, and protect the flank from sm-- 
prise. The Third Corps, worn out and disabled, is in reserve. 
4 . 



50 Pennsylvania at Gcttys/nirg. 

At early dawn the tight commences ou the right, for orders 
have been sent to dislodg-e the enemy. Slocum commands the 
right wing-, and he voted last nig-ht at the council, "stay and 
fight it out." It is most important that our line be maintained, 
and for almost five hours a determined and coui'ageous struggle 
continues. Finally the enemy are compelled to move back, and 
our troops regain their position. This is an unexpected loss to Lee . 

Pending the formation of Longstreet's column on the 3d, Gen- 
eral Lee directed General Stuart to move with his cavalry beyond 
the left of his infantry, and endeavor to secure a position from 
which to co-operate with the attack about to be made by General 
Longstreet. This movement was made, but was met by a counter- 
movement by General Pleasonton who, under orders from Gen- 
eral Meade, had taken up a position to meet any flank attack by 
the enemy, and protect the Union flank and rear. Simultaneous 
with the great cannonade Stuart's command, consisting of Hamp- 
ton's, Fitzhugh Lee's, W. H. F. Lee's and Jenkins" Brigades, ad- 
vanced to the attack. They were met by McLitosli's Brigade 
and Custer's Brigade, of Kilpatrick's Division, and, after a des- 
perate hand-to-hand engagement, were repulsed. 

Later in the day General Meade ordered General Kilpatrick to 
take up a position to threaten the Confederate right. General 
Kilpatrick moved with Farnsworth's Brigade, and was subse- 
quently joined by Merritt's Brigade, of Buford's Division. A 
demonstration was made hy General Kilpatrick's order, during 
which General Farnsworth was killed. 

The whole cavalry movement of the 2d and 3d of July, exhib- 
ited on the part of officers and men, not only bravery and cour- 
age, but able leadership, making memorable their record as indis- 
pensable adjuncts to the great battle and victory. Pennsylvania's 
contribution to the corps embraced many troops, and under the 
fighting qualities of fearless Pleasonton, the names of Generals 
John Buford, Da^dd McM. Gregg and Colonel J. Irvin Gregg, 
will ever be cherished and loved. 

It is now eleven o'clock, and our lines are firmer and stronger 
than on the 2d of July. The men have had rest and food, the 
ground is better understood and the troops are resolute, knowing 
that another disaster may or will be com]3lete defeat. Extreme 
quiet reigns, and behind the low earthworks the men wait the 
coming storm. Hancock rides his Ihie, and his appearance, like 
an inspiration, gives confidence to his soldiers. About one o'clock 
two cannon shots are fired — the men knoAv they are signal guns. 
Suddenly, amid smoke and flame, there belches forth a thunder 



Pennsylvania at Getty .shvrtj. 51 

cannonade as if the very elements were in battle, and the air is 
filled with explodins: shells. Pandemonium has commenced, and 
will so continue for the next two hours. Fifteen minutes pass 
for all is quiet along- the Union front, then there is a return of 
death-dealing: hospitality, and the seventy -seven «-uusof the Union 
Ai-my join tlie oneliundi-ed and thirty-eight g-uns of the Confed- 
eracy. What seemed thunder before now seems a hundred times 
more deafening, for the troops are all lying- near the artillery. 

Men hug the ground, for death and destruction are flying all 
around — a sight so jnagnificent has never been seen by this g-en- 
eration upon this continent. Our guns, after an hour's incessant 
storming-, gradually cease firing. The enemy believe our artillery 
has been silenced, but it has been tlie wise foresig-ht and jude- 
ment of Meade and Hunt who had directed the ammunition to 
be saved. 

Under the cover of the smoke wafted by a soft light breeze, 
the enemy advanced. Pickett's fighting men, fresh, strong- and 
determined to reach our lines, move forward as if on a holiday 
parade. They look like the brave Third Corps as it looked yes- 
terday. The direction of the line is distinct — not a turning- of the 
left flank, but the assault is to fall upon Cemetery Ridge and Han- 
cock's Corps. These soldiers are like their superb commander — 
they fight to win — die if need be, for they have faced danger 
on many fiercely contested fields. There are ten reg-iments of 
Pennsylvania troops in that old Second Corps, and he is a Penn- 
sylvania soldier who commands them. Across the open plain 
the enemy marches with front apparently compact. Pickett leads, 
and then comes Armistead, Garnett, Wilcox, Kemper, Pettigrew, 
Trimble and a number of fearless men. It is their last heroic 
charg-e. That line of determined men lying along the Second 
Corps' front intend to allow no return. 

How the banners flaunt, but they Avill soon drop, for the hands 
that hold them will be stricken down. It is death or victory, and 
the soil is Pennsylvania. 

The enemy make a movement, a half wheel, our artillery opens 
upon the right flank, and McGilvery's forty guns are demoraliz- 
ing- the steadiness of the forward movement. Other Confederate 
brigades now appear. Archer, Davis and Brockenbrough are seen 
in single line with Scales on the right and Lane on the left. Pickett's 
skirmishers are ordered back for real work is about to begin. 

Forward, forward, here they come. No fear, no indecision — 
their eyes are fixed on the ridg-e and they will not waver save in 
death. They are fourteen thousand strong. 



52 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

They are witliiu two liuudred yards of the line on the ridge 
and Hazard, from his artillery, Rorty, Brown, Gushing-, Arnold 
and Woodruff blaze canister into their ranks, the infantr}^ pour 
musketry and McGilvery's guns drive them with shot and shell 
and roll up their tlank. 

They are now upon us. We can see their faces — long, color- 
less, gaunt — their clothing covered with blood and dirt. 

The muskets bayoneted, carried at a charge, the look upon 
their firm set faces, resolute, defiant, fearless. Up men of Penn- 
sylvania! up soldiers of the Second Corps! you or they must win 
this day; there is no retreat now. 

Harrow's and Hall's men strike them on our left, Stannard's 
fiank fire rolls them ,up on our right, and brave Alexander Hays 
with soldiers worthy of the gallantry of their leader, with a fire 
concentrated and fearful in its havoc, wedges them into a solid 
column, which, driven like a massed weight, falls with a fearful 
force, impelled, upon the front of Webb's Brigade. They now 
seem irresistible, and they mean to kill. 

Webb, in the midst of his soldiers, fights as they fight, yet he 
is ever the leader. The fearful thunderbolt has driven back his 
first line, but it readily re-forms on the second and brave Webb 
falls wounded. 

The scene passes description — shot and shell and canister and 
musketry, every implement of warfare and death play havoc and 
let loose the dogs of war. Battle fiags di'op, men throw up their 
arms and fall upon their faces within our lines. 

The fight is over, the victory of victories is won. Well done, 
sagacious Meade — bravely done, Hancock, master leader in the 
battle front of this the battle of the century — your blood has 
hallowed this ground ; and you, heroic Gibbon, and Webb, and 
Gushing, and Hays, and the long line of living and dead leaders, 
well done. A nation thanks you and thanks your great army. 
Soldiers of Pejmsylvania, your valor has been seen in many bat- 
tle fields, but on none has it been greater or grander, nobler or 
more heroic than on the July days of 1863. 

Again we hear the call, and in its tones a wail of anxiety, al- 
most grief — " Watchman, what of the night ?" The answer is 
heard all over the land—" All's well. The Army of the Potomac 
has gained a great victory," and like an ocean's roar comes back 
response— "Thank God and the Army of the Potomac." 



MUSIC. 
Dedication Quartktte. 



Pennsylvania at Gettyabury. 53 



TRANSFER OF MONUMENTS TO GET'lYSBURG BATTLE- 
FIELD MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION. 



Governor )ames A. Beaver. 



MT COUNTRYMEN: You have heard, in eloquent phrase, 
from the hps of personal participants in the battle of 
Gettysburg-, what Pennsylvania's sons did here in con- 
nection with their comrades from other states, to preseiTe the 
heritage of our fathers for transmission to our sons. The mem- 
orials erected, and yet to be erected, upon this tield, are designed 
to. transmit this story, so far as perishable materials can, to the 
coming generations. The story itself will be transmitted in 
other and more enduring ways. We recog-nize it as proper, hoM - 
ever, that the spot upon which men proved their devotion to 
principle by the surrender of their lives, should be marked by 
something distinctive and appropriate. This has been done in 
accordance with the wishes of the people of Pennsylvania, as 
voiced in the acts of their representatives, and it now devolves 
upon me, as their chief executive, to transfer the custody of these 
memorials to a body of gentlemen composed of representatives 
of the different states, whose troops pai'ticipated in the battle 
on the side of the Union, and organized for the express purpose 
of preserving the battle-field and its surroundings, and of per- 
petuating- the memory of the deeds of its participants. 

The Gettysburg- Battle-field Memorial Association has done a 
great work in preserving this field for the study of patriots, 
heroes and soldiers for all time to come. The organization is not 
distinctively Pennsylvanian. In its management are found the 
representatives of the several states contributing to the pur- 
chase and care of the battle-field. Its work, although confined 
to a given locality, is of interest to the people of the countrj^ and 
the world. For historical purposes, and for the study of strat- 
eg-y and tactics, Gettysburg- is to be the g-reat battle-field of the 
country and of the world. This fact has long been recognized 
by the Gettysburg Battle-field Memorial Association, and is be- 
coming recognized more and more by the people of the entii-e 



54 Pennsylvania at (reJlydmrg. 

country. Gettj'sbiirf;: docs not belong to Pennsylvania. Just as 
the principles of rig-lit for Avhicli men here fought were universal, 
and the results here won of general value to our common coun- 
try, so the battle-field of Gettysburg is the heritage of our coun- 
trymen everywhere. Their representatives control it now. and it 
is to be hoped that their official representatives in Congress will 
make provision for its further development for historical pur- 
poses, until the location of every military organization which 
fought upon the field will be designated and permanently 
marked. 

Pennsylvania has entire confidence in the present organization 
cliarged with the duty of preserving and maintaining this battle- 
field, and she, without hesitation, transfers to its custody these 
memorials, erected by her ofticial boimty and the contributions 
of the survivors of the several organizations which participated 
in the battle. She has, by legislative enactment, sanctioned the 
organization of the Gettysburg Battle-field Memorial Associa- 
tion ; she has contributed of her funds to its support ; she has 
pride in its work, and will, doubtless, continue to co-operate Avith 
it and through it for its continued development, and the enlarge- 
ment of its scope and efibrts. 

To you, as the representative of this Association, I beg to 
transfer the custody of Pennsylvania's memorials, assured that 
they will be properly cared for and faithfully preserved, and that 
so long as these perishable materials shall continue to do so they 
will be permitted to tell their story of heroism, sacrifice and de- 
votion to the generations yet unborn. 



Pe7ins>/lv(mi(i at Gcfh/s/mnj. 55 



ACCEPTANCE OK THE MONUMENTS ON BEHALF OF THE 
BATTLE-FIELD MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION. 

Hon. Edwakd McPhek.son. 



GOVERNOR BEAVER : The Battlefield Association wiUin^crly 
accepts the care of the memorials which you have cou- 
fided to it. These tasteful and enduring- monuments of 
bronze and granite, are an appropriate expression of the profound 
emotions with which a grateful people ]-egard the great work done 
liere by a noble soldiery. They vividly recall to this generation, 
as they will suggest to future generations, the anxieties and 
griefs which, in the midst of war's alarms, disquieted the homes 
of our broad and busy commonwealth. The^^ will as vividly re- 
call the numberless privations and fatigues of camp and march, 
the suffering in hospital, the constant strain of expectation, the 
awful carnage of battle, which those brave hearts endured for 
us and for the possession of g-enerations who are to come after us. 
And they will also forever testify the precious fruits of victory — 
our Union saved, our constitution purified, our institutions im- 
measurably strengthened, the whole people firmly bound in an 
indissoluble union of indestructible states. 

This lofty thought had, before the War of the Rebellion, no 
place in the accepted theories of our government, but is a gift 
from that war. Before that event the Union was llippantiy and 
frequently threatened from within, in both the North and the 
South; and if the states were boasted as indestructible, it was be- 
cause they were claimed to be independent and sovereign — and 
not at all as indestructible because an integral part of a union in- 
dissoluble in whole and equally indestructible in every part. So 
far as we are, therefore, this day fused into unity and have a 
cloudless future, Ave owe it primarily to the constancy and valor 
of the armies of the Union, who thereby made the nation their 
debtor to an amount which cannot be computed or paid. 

How much of the great result due to our many victories may 
be directly due to this victory, it is not possible accurately to 
state. But there were then existing circumstances of peculiar 



56 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

gravity which made this victory indispensable to the cause of the 
Union. We know that long- before this battle several European 
cabinets had considered the policy of unfriendly intervention in our 
affairs. We know, definitely, that six months before this battle 
the Emperor of France had taken a step in that policy of hostil- 
ity to which he was impelled by ambition for his dynasty, now 
happily sunk from sight. And we knov/, further, that the gov- 
erning classes in most European states then complacently re- 
garded the end of the Great Republic as inevitable and awaited 
only a sufficient pretext to decide the issue and glean the profits. 
Our dangers from within were hardly less serious. Delays and 
defeats, debt and the draft, had sorely tried and deeply discour- 
aged the hopeful and faithful, and had driven the timorous, 
the time-serving and the treacherous to look for peace through 
surrender. The invasion of Pennsjdvania was made at this su- 
preme crisis — the supreme crisis of the war, diplomatically, po- 
liticaUy and militarily, and was timed so as to be adapted to these 
various exigencies. In all the war there was no moment so big 
with the fate of empire as July, 1863. If at that pivotal period, 
with foreign and domestic enemies of the Union alike crouching 
for its destruction, the Army of the Potomac had been subdued 
and beaten, and if on the fourth of July, 1863, the victorious army 
of Northern Virginia had been in quick pursuit of its flying- foe 
to the then probable capture of Baltimore and of Washington, 
there can be no reasonable doubt that the fact would have become 
the long-sought pretext for foreign intervention with its horrid 
brood of consequences. But the Ai'my of the Potomac stood in 
its tracks — shaken but yet firm, weakened but yet defiant, threat- 
ened but yet victorious. It remained master. The Army of 
Northern Virginia it was which sped its way to the camps from 
which it came, and whence it never afterward took a northern 
step. As it disappeared there also disappeared all opportunity 
for intervention. And Gettysburg, having escaped the misfor- 
tune of witnessing the wounding unto death of Liberty and 
Union, rose to be the venerated spot on which free institutions 
received their efficacious baptism of fire and blood. 

In order to comprehend Gettysburg as a great historic name, 
and as a special place in the world, it is necessary to know ex- 
actly what each side represented in this death struggle. For this 
the official data are available — data which cannot be confused or 
denied, and must not be forgotten. The differences between the 
two were radical and unmistakable; were written down at the 
time in justification for action taken, and were put in issue when 



Peunsylvauui at Getty sJmrg. 57 

appeal was made to the God of Battles. The "other side," by its 
declarations of that date, foug-lit for the theory that our common 
constitution had created a confederacy of states, and had not 
formed a union of the people of the states. They foug-ht for 
the existence in that confederacy of an indefeasil)le right in each 
state to secede from it on every i)retext deemed good by each 
state, and against the right of the Union to prevent the with- 
drawal from it of the people of any state on any pretext. They 
fought for the right of two governments and two peoples, to di- 
vide between them the territory of the Union, and against the 
rig'ht of one government and one people to preserve as its per- 
petual home, the magnificent empire won and given by the 
fathers. And they fought that human slavery, instead of remain- 
ing- a system local to, and controlled by, states, and with only 
qualified but defined rights in the Union, should be made the 
universal dominating interest in the confederacy — absolute every- 
where as to rights, its characteristic institution, the very "corner- 
stone" of its fabric, the dictator of its policies, and a chief ob- 
ject in its life. 

These fundamental differences were brought by common consent, 
at Gettysburg, to the point of the bayonet and the mouth of the 
cannon, to be settled, after gig-antic combat, by those grim and 
imperious judges from whose decision there is no appeal. Every 
soldier who fought in either army, therefore, fought willingly or 
unwillingly, consciously or unconsciously, for or against the idf^as 
involved in these differences. And Gettysburg has thenceforth 
stood, and will stand while history endures, as a synonym for an 
indivisible government under the constitution, with freedom and 
equal rights for all as the pervading purpose of the former, and 
as the perpetual inspiration of the latter. 

Feelings of unspeakable thankfulness for this great gift have 
imiDelled the participating states to mark this field, as no field 
has been marked from the beginning of the world unto this day. 
Already there are upon it two hundred and eighty -seven memo- 
rial stones and structures, which are located with historical accu- 
racy upon the lines of battle of the Union Army, twelve miles in 
extent. Every regimental position has been or will be marked. 
And every tragic spot will be indicated upon this unique locality 
now known to have been the point expected and preferred by the 
commander of the invading army for the collision — the conver- 
gence to it of roads from all directions within a radius of fifty 
miles, having indicated it as the probable seat of battle with the 
defensive army of the Union. 



58 Pennsylvania ai (Tcffi/shmr/. 

Thus by a series of luilitaiy events not specifically planned by 
either side, this battle of the g-iants came to be within the lines 
of Penn, but few miles from the lines of Calvert — the line be- 
tween the two having- long- been the separation bet wen the states 
of the free and the states of the slave. The distinction which 
then came to Pennsylvania, and which will be to it as a crown 
throughout the ages, found it neither unprepared nor unworthy. 
No region in the Union has a prouder political lineage than this 
in which we are. It was solemnly dedicated, over two hundred 
years ago, by its wise, unselfish and humane founder, to "kind- 
ness and goodness and charity," through forms of government in- 
tended to give freedom in order that the colonists might be 
happy. As colony and as commonwealth, the record of Penn- 
sylvania is radiant with acts of mercy and justice and virtue. 
Early in the strugg"le for independence, patriotic fervor drove it 
to the front, and troops from this neighborhood were among the 
first to hurry, in 1775, after Bunker Hill, to the help of the colo- 
nists of New England whose cause they made their own. When 
independence was proclaimed, it was on the soil of Pennsylvania 
that its language was first heard. While the country was in the 
throes of the revolution, in 1780, seven years before the passage 
of the great northwestern ordinance, it was Pennsylvania — a 
name "already dear throughout the world as a symbol of free- 
dom ■■ — which, fii'st of the thirteen, " led the way towards intro- 
ducing freedom for all," by passing the act of emancipation, 
which restored and established within it the rights of human na- 
ture — giving" as reasons therefore thankfulness for escape from 
dang-er and a desire to give a substantial proof of gratitude, the 
duty of proving the sincerity of their professions in favor of 
freedom and the peculiar pleasure of adding "one more step to 
universal civilization." 

When independence was won, and the convention of 1787 pro- 
duced, within its chief city, the Constitution of the United States, 
"the most wonderful work ever struck oflf at a given time by 
the brain and purpose of man," Pennsylvania, in its deep yearn- 
ing for nationality, was one of the first two states, and the first 
of the large states, to greet and ratify it; and from that august 
moment to this it has, without default or stint, given to the safety 
of that constitution and to the growth of that union the sturdy 
service of its strong- hands and the measureless wealth of its rich 
heart. 

It must, therefore, he regarded as a supreme historic felicity 
that n\n)]\. a territory so dedicated, ainong a people so molded 



Pennsylvania at Getfi/s/nituj. 5*) 

and so trained, and in a state so disting-iiislied, in wbicli over 
eighty years before, had been struck the first ringing blow for 
human freedom, was here struck the decisive blow, in the fulness 
of time and in a Titanic struggle, for the salvation of our consti- 
tution, the maintenance of our union, and the rescue of the im- 
perilled rights of human nature ; and that, in this mighty con- 
test, it was from out tli(!Se peaceful and beautiful hills, for years 
the silent watchers and the shielding friends of fleeing bondmen, 
bondwomen andbondchildren, when, suddenly, as in the twinkling 
of an eye, transformed by the subtle alchemy of battle, into quak- 
ing, smoking, cloud-capijed, blood-drenched mounts, there issued 
in clear and resolute voice, amid the lightning flashes of artillery 
and the thunderous roar of musketry, the thrilling but just sen- 
tence that, as the expiation for all this suffering and as the i^un- 
ishment for all this wrong, both our Union and our constitution 
shall remain inviolate, and our country shall no longer contain a 
slave. Then, and tlierein, had Gettysburg its consecration. 

Honored Governor of our illustrious commonwealth! I accept 
from your hands, by direction of the Battle-field Memorial Asso- 
ciation, the gifts which are the embodiment of the people's grati- 
tude; and, fully realizing what they represent and what our duty 
is and wdll be towards them, promise you to devote ourselves to 
their care as to a religious duty of highest obligation. 




(60) 



Pennsylvania 



Reserve day 



GETTYSBURG, 

September 2d, iSgo. 



(fii) 



Pennsylvania Reserve Day, 

Tuesday, September 2, 1890, 1.30 p. m. 



Ckrkmonies at thk Rostrum of -j'hk National Cemeikky, 
Gettysburg, Pa. 



Hon. Andrew G. Curiin, Presiding, 

JVar Governor of the Commonwealth, 1 861-1866. 

Music, Frankford Band, of Philadelphia. 

Prayer, Chaplain J. Hervev Beale. 

Choir, *'Dro}'imng from the Ranks." 

"The Organization of the Reserves," 
Hon. Andrew G. Curtin. 

"The Commanders of the Reserves," 

Colonel John H. Taggart. 

Music, Frankford Band. 

"The First Brigade at Gettysburg," 

Brevet Brigadier-General Roher r A. McCoy. 

"The Third Brigade at (jettysburg," 

Lieutenant W. Haves (trh-r. 

Poem, "Major and Surgeon G. B. Hotchkins. 
Read by First Lieutenant and Adjutant W. P. LLo^ d. 

Presentation of Monuments to Battle-field Association, 

Hon. James A. Beaver, Governor of the Gommomvealth. 

Acceptanc<^ on behalf of Battle-field Association, 

Brevet Major Chill. W. Hazzard. 

Music, Frankford Band. 



(62) 



THE FIRST BRIGADE AT GETTYSBrRG. 
Brkvet Bru;ai)if.k-(;knkkai. Rohkri- A. McCov. 



ON the 3d of June, 1863, Brigadier-General S. AV. CraAvford, 
of the regular army, an able and g-allaut Pennsylvauian, 
who had won distinction at Fort Sumter, in 1861, and later, 
as an ofhcer on General Rosecrans' staff, and also as a brigade 
commander in Banks' army, was assigned to the division and 
proceeded to prepare it for active service in its camps, near 
Washington, D. C, to which it had been withdrawn at the ur- 
gent solicitation of Governor Curtin, who always vigilantly looked 
after the welfare of Pennsylvania troops, in order that its ranks 
might be repleted after the many hard-fought battles in which it 
had participated. 

All then existing vacancies in field and line officers were filled. 
With some recruits, and the return of many from the hospitals 
who had been absent, wounded or sick, the division was soon in 
good condition for the field; and both Reynolds, of the First 
Corps, and Meade, of the Fifth, applied to the War Department 
to have it assigned to his individual command. After four 
mouths of monotonous picket duty experienced on the outposts 
of the defenses of Washington, it became irksome to the spirit 
of the corps, accustomed, as it had been, to most active and se- 
vere service at the front, and when rumors of a threatened inva- 
sion into Maryland and Pennsylvania followed close upon the 
battle of Chancellorsville, fought on the 3d of Ma3% 1863, which 
were made significant by a call for the militia of the state by 
Governor Curtin, on the 12th of June, for her defense, the old 
veterans became restive and petitioned the general government 
to return them to the Army of the Potomac. On the 12th of 
June, coincident with the state proclamation, though no danger 
was then apprehended at Washington of any invasion, Lee, 
flushed and emboldened by his past successes, which he believed 
augured well for the success of other plans that were far-reach- 
ing in their effect, left his position south of the Rappahannock, 
and started on a cautious movement toward the Shenandoah Yal- 

( 63 ) 



64 Pennsylvania at Gettyshnrg. 

ley tending towards the north. By the next day Hooker was 
also on the move, closely watching the unfolding of the enemy's 
plan. After capturing Winchester, on the night of the 14th, the 
advance rebel cavalry, under Jenkins, crossed the Potomac and 
pushed rapidly through to Chambersburg, Pa., followed by Ew- 
ell's Corps, on the l()th, that raided by division, north upon 
Chambersbui'g, York and Carlisle, and also westward up the Po- 
tomac to Cumberland, Md. By these several movements Lee 
had hoped to draw the Ai'my of the Potomac into Maryland and 
Pennsylvania, and then with the balance of his army he would 
move ijy Snicker's and Ashby's gaps, in the Blue Ridge, upon 
Washington, and strike from the south side. But the plan not 
having the desired effect upon Hooker, he suddenly pushed for- 
ward his whole army into Maryland on the 24th and 25th, and 
rapidly advanced into Pennsylvania with the purpose to plunder 
and destroy, if he could not succeed in transferring the battle- 
ground from Virginia. Hooker, who had advanced according to 
the movements of Lee, then started in pursuit, and on the 25th 
crossed the Potomac at Berlin and Edwards' Ferry, and proceeded 
to Frederick, Md., thus keeping between Washington and the 
enemy, who had crossed at Williamsport and Falling Waters. 
On the 23d, orders were issued from the War Department for the 
Pennsylvania Reserves to join the main army at Frederick, 
though the Second Brigade was detained for defense at Wash- 
ington. The regiments of the First and Third Brigades were 
withdrawn from their various out-posts, and by five o'clock that 
afternoon were on the move. On the 27th, the Potomac was 
crossed at Edwards' Ferry, and on Sunday, the 28th, the division 
reached the array at Frederick, and was assigned as the Third 
Division, Fifth Army Corps, the same position it held through 
the Peninsular campaign. To their surprise they found General 
Sykes taking command as successor to General Meade, who, that 
morning, had received the appointment of commander of the 
Army of the Potomac, in place of Hooker, suddenly relieved at 
his own request. The same breath that heralded to the aston- 
ished troops the retirement of the one, through his own farewell 
order to the army, announced the appointment of the other, and 
his acceptance of the command. And whatever may have been 
the private individual judgment, not a murmur of discontent 
arose from that well -disciplined and loyal body of men to ques- 
tion the wisdom that decided the rise and fall of its command- 
ers. Space will not permit going into the details of this sudden 
change on the eve of a great battle, nor the cause that inspired 



Pennsylvania at Gettysbwg. 65 

it; suffice it to say that thej^ were neither just nor generous to 
"fighting- Joe Hooker," nor creditable to General-in-Chief Hal- 
leck. 

As a part of the secret and unwritten history of the selection 
of a successor to Hooker, when it had been determined to relieve 
him, it is worthy of record that from the long list of able gen- 
erals in the Army of the Potomac, the only names voted upon by 
the Cabinet for the position were Reynolds and Meade, both of 
whom had risen into fame as commanders of the Pennsylvania 
Reserve Volunteer Corps. No greater compliment could have 
been paid to the corps than this, and the fact, that in considera- 
tion of its two great chieftains, a single vote alone decided which 
should wear the highest honors. From Frederick the division 
moved at noon on the 29th, as rear guard to the long artillery 
and ammunition trains, which at times greatly impeded progress, 
but, after long delays, it moved so rapidly forward that lost time 
was recovered in very severe marches, reaching Uniontown, Mary- 
land, on the evening of the 30th, where it encamped for the night. 
On the afternoon of July 1st, the division was halted at the state 
line to hear a most patriotic and stirring address from General 
Crawford. Looking over into their own loved state with all the 
pride of their patriotic hearts, the enthusiasm of the men became 
almost unbounded, and as they crossed the line with cheer after 
cheer there was determination to fight as they had never fought 
before to drive the invader from the soil of their native state. 
The march from the state line to Gettysburg, via Hanover and 
McSherrystown, was almost continuous and very fatiguing, and, 
as but little time could be allowed for either sleep or rest, sorely 
tried the physical endurance of the men. But they were in most 
excellent spirits, and but little straggling took place. Perhaps 
never was greater effort made to keep up, and as they approached 
Gettysburg, knowing that the battle had already been forced and 
that General Reynolds had fallen, it proved a stimulus to more 
than ordinary power to overcome fatigue, and helped the sick 
and the weak to force their waning strength. The death of Gen- 
eral Reynolds was received with demonstrations of sincere sor- 
row by the old Reserves. He was the only one of the original 
quartette of her commanders that death had summoned, and 
from the battle-field. Brave, generous and true, his courage never 
failed where duty called. It was while conspicuously prominent 
in posting his troops, July 1st, — a target for the enemy's fire, 
that the fatal bullet pierced his ncH'k and he fell — dying almost 
instantly. His remains were taken to Lancaster, the city of his 
5 



6G Peimsylvania at Getty nhurg. 

birth, where, on July 4th, midst tolling- bells and muffled drums, 
and solemn requiems sadlj' chanted — all that was mortal was laid 
away in quiet rest until that day when carnal strife is lost in 
everlasting- peace. The division arrived on the field of battle 
on the morning of Thursday, the 2d of July, and joined the 
Fifth Corps at a point Avhere the Baltimore pike crosses Rock 
creek, and was ]30sted in the rear of the right of the line of the 
army as a support, that position being then threatened by the 
enemy. About three o'clock the Fifth Corps was moved from its 
position near the extreme right to the left of the line where Gen- 
eral Crawford was ordered to mass the division near the east slope 
of Little Round Top, where guns and ammunition was inspected. 
The men were impatient to engage in the terrible conflict raging 
in their front, and into which they knew they would soon be or- 
dered, but for the time being the topography hid from them the 
panorama of bloody war taking place in their front. 

The line of battle for the second day lay along Cemetery Ridg-e 
from Culp's Hill, on the right, to Round Top, on the left, and the 
disposition of the troops was as follows : On the extreme right, 
on Culp's Hill, with its right flank extending to Rock creek and 
the Baltimore pike, lay the Twelfth Corps, with AVadsworth's di- 
vision of the First on its left ; connecting on the left flank of this 
division, and along Cemetery Ridge, lay the Eleventh Corps, with 
the First, Second, Third and Fifth Corps prolonging the line to 
Round Top, or rather such appears to have been the plan of the 
original line. But in taking position that afternoon the Third 
Corps, General ISickles, advanced to a ridge about three-quarters 
of a mile to the front, along- and beyond the Emmitsburg- road, 
into the presence of a large body of the rebel army, with his line 
on the right stretching along the front of a part of the Second 
Corps, and the left down through the peach orchard, wheat-field 
and woods to the Devil's Den, in the ravine in front of Round 
Top. The position was one of extreme peril, and troops less 
brave and disciplined than the gallant old Third Corps Avould 
not have battled as they did against such odds until relief came. 
General Hancock placed his First Division to cover its right 
flank, and sent Caldwell's division to strengthen the line on the 
left. Fortunately the Fifth Corps had just arrived, and Griflin's 
division, commanded by Barnes, and Ayres' division, regulars, 
were also thown in on the left, where the most des]ierate struggle 
ensued for the possession of Round Top. While this contest 
was raging-, and the Union forces battled and held their ground 
as a wall of iron, General Sykes ordered General Crawford to the 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 67 

slope of the rocky ridge to the right and front of Little Round 
Top, to cover the troops engaged in the front should it b(^come 
necessary for them to fall back. This lnoveni(!ut placed the 
Third Brigade pretty well down the rockj' slope with the 
Eleventh Regiment in the rear of the brigade, and in front of the 
First Regiment of the First Brigade. 

At this juncture, and while the division was being massed left 
in front, an order was received by General Crawford to send one 
of his brigades to the assistance of Vincent, then closely engaged 
with the enemy on the slopes of Big Round Top ; Fisher's Third 
Brigade was designated for this service, and filed out by regiment 
to the left. While this movement was being executed our troops 
in front, borne down by superior numbers and pressed back, 
though contesting every inch of ground from the peach orchard 
to the wheat-field and stone wall suddenly broke and fell back 
in confusion across Plum run, closely pursued by the enemy who 
sought to cut through the Union forces and seize the batteries on 
the left with Weed's Hill and Round Top. The moment of time 
was most critical. On it hung the destiny of the day, and the 
fate of the battle of Gettysburg — for a two days' loss of position 
would scarcely insure victory for the third. To stem the tide of 
disaster, General Crawford personally ordered Colonel Jackson 
not to move the Eleventh Regiment out with the Third Brigade, 
but to remain in position where he was, in front of the First 
Brigade. The First Brigade then moved rapidly forward to the 
gTOund vacated by the four regiments of Fisher's brigade. Tliis 
placed the men within the range of the enemy's musketry fire, 
which was particularly severe on the Eleventh Regiment. Here 
Lieutenant John O'Hara Woods and a number of enlisted men were 
killed, and Lieutenant-Colonel Porter and Lieutenant Fulton and 
many men wounded, with casualties in each of the other regi- 
ments of the brigade. 

It was a position requiring the highest qualities of the veteran 
soldier, but the men who fought at Dranesville, Mechanics- 
ville, Gaines Mill, New Market Cross Roads, Malvern Hill, Second 
Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Mine 
Run held it immovable with their comrades falling about them, 
only eager and impatient to meet the enemy and add new laurels 
to those already won. During this time Colonel McCandless was 
forming his brigade into two lines of battle — the first line com- 
posed of the Sixth, Colonel Wellington Ent, which was to tlu- 
right and rear of the Eleventh, Colonel S. M. Jackson, and tlie 
First Regiment, William Cooper Taliey, on the left. The second 



68 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

line being- massed on the first — the Second Reg-iment, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Georg-e A. "Woodward, and the First Eities, (Bucktails,) 
Colonel Charles Frederick Taylor, on the left. 

But before this movement could be fully cari'ied out, and our 
front being- practically uncovered by the broken masses of troops 
retreating- past us, and the enemy being- at close rang-e, the front 
line opened fire. 

The Eleventh was armed with smooth-bore muskets, and, in ad- 
dition to the usual charge of "buck and ball," the men, realizing- 
that the eng-ag-ement would be at close quarters, had added addi- 
tional charg-es of "buckshot." Never before in the history of its 
service did the Eleventh deliver a volley with such terrible effect, 
each musket sending, as it were, a handful of death-dealing- balls 
into the ranks of the exultant enemy advancing so confidently 
with shouts of victory. But it was only to receive a volley that 
sent many of them reeling in the agonies of pain and death, while 
their comrades, broken and dismayed, had no time to re-form be- 
fore the order was given, Forward, double quick — CHARGE. 

With the furious battle yell peculiar with the Pennsylvania 
Reserve Corps, and well remembered by "Stonewall Jackson's ' 
men, against whom they were so often matched, the brigade swept 
down the declivity, following their gallant leader, General Craw- 
ford (who carried the colors of the First Regiment on horseback), 
over the boulders of granite and swampy ground of Plum run, 
deploying as they went and hurling back the enemy, drove him 
across the plain, over the stone wall, through the woods and wheat- 
field, until the lateness of the hour made it imprudent to push 
further into the enemy's lines. But it was enough, the tide was 
turned, a portion of the lost ground regained, many prisoners 
taken, and the day saved, and by this charge, so daring, effective 
and decisive, was an inspiration given to the whole line that 
brighten(;d hope and renewed confidence in the ultimate success 
that so gloriously crowned the field of Gettysburg. 

With the exception of a strong skirmish line, the command 
was withdrawn to the stone wall and fence skirting the woods 
to the right. As they charged the regiments deployed so that 
when the stone wall was reached, the Sixth was on the extreme 
right, with the Eleventh, First, Second and Bucktails to its left. 
The Bucktails, in the charge, were met by a heavy fire on their 
front and on their left flank from the Devil's Den. Their brave 
leader, Colonel Charles Frederick Taylor, brother of the late 
Bayard Taylor, was instantly killed as his regiment took and 
crossed the stone wall. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 69 

The reg-iments remained iu position back of the stone Avail 
until late in the afternoon of the 8(1, when General Crawford, under 
personal direction from General Meade, who anticipated an- 
other movement on his left, ordered Colonel McCandless to move 
his brig-ade, with the Eleventh Reg-iment of Fislier's brigade, 
forward, and capture the battery uncomfortably near liis line, 
and ascertain the position and strength of the enemy beyond 
and skirting the wheat-field. This movement ivas one of the hril- 
liant dashes of the war, and is modestly and tersely told by Col- 
onel McCandless in his official report: " On the evening of the 3d 
instant, I was ordered to advance and clear the woods on my front 
and left, to do Avhich the command had to cross an open field 
about eight hundred j^ards wide. The enemy, noticing this move- 
ment, opened a battery directly in front. I pushed the Sixth Regi- 
ment through the woods on the right, and drove out the enemy's 
skirmishers and annoyed the g-uuners, causing the battery to 
slacken its fire, and as the remaining regiments of the brigade 
charg'ed in line, and at a run across the open field, they compelled 
the enemy to retire. Having- cleared the woods in front, and 
finding a line of the enemy in the woods on my left and at right 
ang-les therewith, I. charg-ed the enemy directly on the left flank, 
routing him, capturing nearly two hundred prisoners, among- 
them a lieutenant-colonel, also a stand of colors. The field M'as 
strewn with small arms, two or three thousand in nimiber, the 
majority of which had been piled on brush heaps ready to be 
burned. The enemy took up a new position on a wooded ridge 
about a half a mile in advance on our front, and were bus}^ dur- 
ing the night chopping- timber and fortifying." The second 
charg-e of the First Brigade was a fitting- close for such heroic 
deeds, and when the streng-th of position of the rebel right, 
with its great number of batteries playing- over their heads, the 
intrepid push into the enemy's lines away from all supports, 
thus recovering that entire part of the field covered thickly with 
the dead and wounded, that from their numbers onh^ revealed 
how fearful and desperate the conflict had been the day before, 
was truly a deed of humanity as well as of great courage. The 
enemy believed such dash could only be inspired bj^ the advance 
of a heavy force, for it was made, as will be remembered, at a 
double gnick, Antli onlj^ occasional pausing-s to fire on the resist- 
ing though retreating foe, and the woods alone prevented th<5 
enemy from discerning the insig-nificant numb(^r pursuing. As 
it w^as now dusk and too late to follow up the advantage g-ained, 
the command rested for the night on the position won. The men 



70 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

of the ambulance corps were soon upon the heki with stretchers, 
and began as rapidlj^ as possible to transport the suifering- vic- 
tims of the lost ground of the previous day to the care of the 
field hospitals, Avhere their wounds were dressed and water and 
nourishment supplied for the first time in more than twenty-four 
hours. Such are some of the viscissitudes and terrible sufferings 
that war imposes. The night was passed in the woods in impene- 
trable darkness, as any fire or lights would have revealed our 
position, and well is remembered the sensations of that strange 
wierd experience among the dead. Hardly a step could be taken 
without fear or danger of treading on some body corporeal, 
whether living- or lifeless, and the horror of ghostly thoughts 
that intruded was anything- but composing to exhausted nerves 
and aching- muscles. While feeling around for a comfortable 
place to rest, the hand was just as likely, as was the case more 
than once, to touch a form whose face was ic}'^ cold in death, as 
that of a comrade in whom the life blood was warmly and 
strongly pulsating in vigorous life. A¥hen the early dawn per- 
mitted a look around, the first sight that greeted the eye, close 
at hand, was the ghastly one of more than one hundred dead 
Confederates laid out in line for the rude battle-field burial, from 
which their living comrades had been driven the evening before. 
The next day, the 4th of July, no advance of any importance was 
made by either army, beyond reeonnoitering the position of the 
enemy in the immediate front, and sending the cavalry out on 
the flanks to watch and report the movements of the rebel force. 
Each army maintained picket lines which kept up the usual ex- 
change of shots, generally without results. Otherwise all was 
quiet. Meanwhile the time was energ-etically employed in bury- 
ing the dead, caring- for the wounded and distributing ammuni- 
tion. After being under fire for forty-three hours, the command 
was called in from the skirmish line and relieved, about ten 
o'clock, and withdrawn to the stone wall, Avhere it was again re- 
lieved, at one o'clock, by the Second Division, regulars, and or- 
dered to the vicinity of Round Top, where it joined the Third 
Brigade. 

The Confederates were elated with their past successes and 
confident of a present victory, upon which they expected im- 
mediate foreign recognition and aid from the disloyal element in 
the North, and to transfer the seat of Avar from the exhausted fields 
of Virginia to tlie fertile valleys of Maryland and Pennsylvania. 
They fought with unusual bravery and ho[)(>fulness until after 
Pickett's charge, when the legions under Meade, instead of a dis- 



Pennsylvanid at Getty, sburg. 71 

pirited army were fouud imiuo\ul)le ami equally determined to 
win success ; so that dcit'eat, after most desperate and sang'uinaiy 
fig-hting for three days, with an aggregate loss in both armies of 
54,000 men, left the Confederate army and people of the South 
more dejected over their cause and less sanguine of final success 
than ever before. Thus was the backbone of tin; g-reat rebellion 
broken, and the historian has found in Getty shimj the decisive battle 
of the war. 

England has her Waterloo, France hvv Austerlitz and Germany 
her Sedan, but the loyal North with equal pride can hand from 
sire to son for generations yet to come her glorious field of Gettys- 
burg. The days preceding the 4th of July, 1863, found the dark- 
est period in the history of the rebellion for the North. Ever}' 
interest was at stake, and gloomy fears pervaded cabinet councils 
and hearthstones. But when on that memorable afternoon the 
lightning telegraph flashed from the Atlantic to the Pacific: 
"Gettysburg and Vicksburg are ours," despair vanished and hope 
again sprang into life with a vigor never to be quenched until 
final victory crowned our arms at Appomattox. 

Glorious 4th of July, 1776 — glorious 4th of July, 1863 — may 
their memories thus intertwined in the nation's heart, ever call 
forth our warmest gratitude. May the enjoyment of our world- 
renowned heritage of civil and religious liberty ever keep fresh 
the debt we owe to those who, through great tribulations, estab- 
lished our Declaration of Independence, and those who eighty- 
seven years later sealed the blood-bought treasure with a second 
sacrifice of blood-bought victor3^ 



PRAYER. 



Chaplain J. Hervey Heale. 



GOD of our Fathers, we adore and worship Thee, and to Thee, 
by whose grace and providence we are what we are, as a 
nation; here, Father, from this sacred spot, surrounded by 
the thousands of known and unknown graves and a few of tlu' 
survivors of this bloody field, we lift our hearts in rendering- 
thanksgiving and everlasting prayer. 

We thank Thee for our glorious national heritage, for the mag- 
nificent land of Avealthy hills and fertile plains, and for the laws 
and institutions which make it a land of progress and liberty. 



72 Pennsijlvania at Gettysburg. 

We tliauk Thee for our Christian sires, lovers of freedom and 
of God, men of conscience and integ-rity whose names have jew- 
eled history, and the memory of whose deeds is an inspiration to 
heroism and patriotic pride. 

We thank Thee for Plymouth Eock, for Yorktown, and that in 
the strength of justice and the mig-ht of mercy our arms were 
plumed with victory at Appomattox. 

We thank Thee that through Thy kindness and mercy, the 
father of our corps and so many of its survivors are here to-day. 

We implore Thee, Father, to let heaven's richest blessing rest 
upon all that are present, the families of the survivors and of the 
fallen, upon our country and all for whom we should pray ; in the 
name of Christ we ask it all. Amen. 



THE COMMANDERS OF THE RESERVES. 



Colonel John H. Taggakt. 



COMRADES OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RESERVES: 
We meet to-day to dedicate these monuments to the mem- 
ory of our fellow-soldiers, our honored commanders. The 
flight of years but enhances their merits: nor can time dull their 
record on the roll of fame. These leaders of the troops raised bj" a 
g-reat commonwealth were the sons of Pennsylvania, born under 
her conservative institutions, and mustered beneath her guid- 
ing star of equity. They Avere reared equally upon the princi- 
ples of constitutional liberty and respect for the rights of prop- 
erty. The first shot fired at the national flag, on Fort Sumter, 
fired also the northern heart. To a man, Pennsylvanians were, 
first of all, Americans. The Keystone State was one among many 
in that vast sectional strife, but all personal considerations, ma- 
terial interests, even the claims of kindred of her children, never 
caused them to waver for an instant in their devotion to their 
countr3^ 

AVhile this was the g-eneral sentiment, the men who first signed 
the record of their principles as leaders of our armies, j^racti- 
call J' staked their lives and fortunes on the hazard of the die ; and 
here the supremacy of moral and physical courage was strikingly 
displayed by Andrew G. Curtin, the War Governor of Pennsyl- 
vania. On his action the issue of the contest hung. Pennsyl- 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 73 

vania was the Keystone of the Uuiou, aud her chief executive 
personally supported the arch, not oidy of the nation, but of the 
g-eog-raphical territory binding- together the North and the South. 

Pennsylvania was more closely allied with the South than witli 
the North in ante-bellum days. Her commercial interests and 
family connections were largely with Maryland, Virg-inia and 
other southern states. Many of her institutions were patriarchal. 
Her policy was one of peace, and her people were thoroughly 
aware of the magnitude of the impending conflict. 

No man was more personally endeared to the whole people of 
his state than Governor Curtin. His individual acquaintance 
with them was marvelous. It is alleged that he kissed every baby 
born in Pennsylvania in 1861 and 1862. Spared to see tAventy- 
five years of peace, and bless his native state, he is to-day the 
grandest of all the historic figures among- his living countrymen. 

A partisan administration had consigned to the southern ar- 
senals great stores of munitions of war, and in the South, too, 
the larg-est division of the regnlar army, under General Twiggs, 
had supinely laid doAvn their arms before the power of the con- 
federacy of the slave states; yet Andrew G. Curtin recognized, 
that Pennsylvania was sound to the core, and that her sons would 
unflinchingly fig-ht for the preservation of the Union. His work 
in organizing and arming the Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer 
Corps was not less phenomenal than the sag-acity with which he 
selected George A. McCall to instruct and command them. Mc- 
Call was a thorough soldier, a great organizer, and his strong 
personality Avas impressed upon the Peserves from the time they 
entered the United States service until they were mustered out 
at the expiration of their term of enlistment. He was as mild 
and gentle as a woman, but firm as a rock in the enforcement of 
discipline, yet his kindness of heart made him looked up to as a 
father by his beloved Reserves, and his noble example of heroism 
in battle, endurance of fatigue and privation on the march and 
in camp was the admiration of those wlio felt proud of him as 
their leader. 

General McCall was a Philadelphian by birth, a graduate of the 
West Point Military Academj' of 1822, and an old officer of the 
reg-ular army. He served with distinction in the war ag-ainst the 
Florida Indians in 1836, afterward in the Mexican war, and in 
1850 was appointed by President Taylor, inspector-general of the 
United States army with the rank of colonel, which position he 
held with great credit to himself until April, 1853, when he re- 
signed his commission, retired from the military service, and re- 



74 Feniisi/lvania at Geffi/slmrg. 

maiued on his farm in Chester county until tht; rebellion of the 
southern people called his countrymen to arms. Immediately 
thereafter, in April, 1861, Governor Curtin summoned Colonel 
McCall to Harrisburg- to advise with him on tlie military situa- 
tion and assist in the organization of the Pennsylvania Reserve 
Corps. His whole heart and soul were in the work. It was his 
ambition and his pride to make the corps the equal, if not the 
superior, of any other body of troops either in the reg-ular or vol- 
unteer service. How well he succeeded the history of the divi- 
sion attests. After the first battle of BuU Run, if the Pennsylva- 
nia Reserves had not been organized, armed and equipped ready 
for the field, Washington city would have fallen before the vic- 
torious foe. The capture of Washing-ton would have been most 
damaging to the Union cause, as its enemies could then have 
dictated terms to the conquered Federal government from its 
capital. 

When the Reserves encamped at Tenallytown, on Georgetown 
Heights, General McCall, on entering the United States service, 
was commissioned a brigadier-general in the volunteer service. 
. Up to that time the Reserves had not been organized into bri- 
gades, being composed of separate regiments, under the command 
of General McCall, holding a state commission as major-general. 
In order to perfect their organization into brigades. General 
McCall recommended to General Simon Cameron, the then 
Secretary of War, the assignmeut of Brigadier-General John F. 
Reynolds to command the First Brigade, Brigadier-General 
George G. Meade to command the Second Brigade and Brigadier 
General E. O. C. Ord to command the Third Brigade. 

General McCall's selection of his brigadier-generals showed the 
wondeiful perceptive and discriminating faculties of the man. 
These ofticers were all graduates of the Military Academy at West 
Point, but none of them had ev(>r commanded large bodies of 
troops until they were assigned to the Reserve Corps. The men 
were green volunteers, but with such training as they received 
from these able and enthusiastic officers they rapidly developed 
into well-disciplined soldiers. 

In the woi'ds of General John Gibbon, of the regular army, ex- 
pressed in his address upon the unveiling of the statue of Gen- 
eral Meade in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, October 18, 1887, 
i-especting Generals McCall, Reynolds and Ord: 

"Meade was especially fortunate in hisasso(;iates ; for George A. 
McCall, one of the most distinguished officers of his time, was his 
commander, ;ind tli(> other brigade commanders were destined to 



l^ennsylvania at Getlya/mry. 75 

inscribe their uuuies high on the glory roll of their couutry — 
John F. Eeynolds and E. O. C. Ord 

"There were regular officers, who, at the commencement of our 
civil war, unmindful of the different circumstances under which 
they were serving, seemed to think there Avas but one way to en- 
force discipline in our volunteer forces, and that was by follow- 
ing- the old rut and routine of tlie regular army. Such an idea 
never found place in the minds of the oflicers I have mentioned ; 
and the results, as exemplified in the subsequent career of the 
Pennsylvania lieserves, amply justified the wisdom and sound 
judgment of those they were fortunate enough to have placed 
in command over them. 

"It was frequently noted during the war and afterwards, how 
much of the renown gained by volunteer organizations could be 
traced back to the right direction given to their efforts by the 
sound judgment, g^ood, hard, common sense, firm hand, and just 
dealings of the commanders who first took them in charg-e." 

General McCall commanded the Reserves in the brilliant eu- 
gag-ement at Dranesville, December 20, 1861, arriving on the 
ground soon after the action hadcommencedunderthe direction of 
General Ord, commanding- the Third Brigade. This was the first 
victory of the Union troops after the disastrous battle of Bull 
Bun, and the massacre at Ball's Bluff". McCall also led them in 
the famous Seven Days' Battles in front of Bichmond, and in the 
battle of Mechanicsville, June 26, 1862, in which the Beserves 
bore the brunt of the fight and achieved a great success. It was 
one of the brightest pages in his gallant military record. In the 
battle of New Market Cross Boads, June 30, 1862, lie was cap- 
tured and taken prisoner to Bichmond, and was exchanged, along 
with General Beynolds, who was captured at Gaines' Mill, June 
27, 1862, and both returned to the camp at Harrison's Landing, 
on the James river, on the 8th of Aug-ust, 1862. They were 
most enthusiastically received on their return by the Beserves. 

The severit}^ of the Peninsular campaign, and the close confine- 
ment in Libby Prison, had so seriously impaired General McCall's 
health, that he was compelled to return to his home in Chester 
county to rest and recuperate. After passing several weeks with 
his family, imder constant medical treatment, he became con- 
vinced that he was not able to resume his position in the army, 
and he resigned his commission and retired to private life. After 
the battle of New Market Gross Boads, General Truman Sey- 
mour, who succeeded General Ord in command of the Third 
Brigade after Ord was promoted to major-general, assumed com- 



76 Pcnnsjilvania at Gettf/sburg. 

maud of the Reserves until the returu of Geueral Rejniolds, who, 
being- the ranking- officer, took command of the corps, at Har- 
rison's Landing, on the day of liis returu to that camp. 

Geueral Reynolds Avas a high-tempered man, the ideal Hotspur, 
as brave as a lion in battle, and perfectly oblivious of danger 
when in presence of the enemy. His promotion to the command 
of the First Corps, and his heroic death on the battle-field of 
Gettysburg, on the first day, are too Avell known to need repeti- 
tion here. He died defending the soil of his native state, aud 
yonder monument, reared to his memory on this historic g-round 
by his sorrowing comrades, will attest to future generations the 
courage and valor he displayed on this sanguinary but glorious 
field. 

General Meade Avas badly wounded in the battle of New Market 
Cross Roads, at the head of his brigade, and went to his home in 
Philadelphia for surgical treatment. Six weeks after this he 
rejoined his command, and took part in the second disastrous bat- 
tle of Bull Run, August 30th, 1862, in which action General Rey- 
nolds commanded the Reserve Corps, where he displayed the 
greatest bravery and courage. 

After this the Confederate General, Lee, made his first invasion 
of Pennsylvania, in 1862. On the march of the Armj^ of the Po- 
tomac to Antietam, General Reynolds, on the 12th of September, 
was relieved from the command of the Reserve Corps, and as- 
signed to command tlu^ Pennsylvania Militia. General Meade 
succeeded to the command of the Reserves, and fought them most 
gallantly in the battles at South Mountain, Antietam, and, later 
on, at Fredericksburg, on December 13, 1862, where, out of 4,500 
officers and men going into battle, 1,853 were killed, wounded 
and missing. 

After leaving the Reserves to command the militia. General 
Reynolds did not return to them, but was assig-ned to the com- 
mand of the First Army Corps. 

The ability and good g-eneralship displayed by General Meade 
in commanding first a brig-ade of the Reserves, and afterwards 
the whole Reserve Corps, caused him to be promoted to the 
command of the Fifth Army Corps. 

When General Mead(! left the Reserves to enter upon the higher 
command, the parting was a sad one on both sides. The officers 
and men were g-rieved to lose him, but they felt proud of his pro- 
motion. On his part his feelings were truthfully expressed, in 
his farewell order, Avhich was read in presence of all the compa- 
nies of the Reserves on Christmas Day, 1862, as follows: 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 11 

■'In accordance with Special Order, No. 3H0, wliich separates the 
commanding- general from the division, he takes occasion to 
express to the officers and men that, notAvithstanding his just 
pride at being promoted to a hig-her command, he experiences a 
deep feeling of regret at parting from them, with .whom he has 
been so long associated, and to whose services he here acknowl- 
edges his indebtedness for whatever of reputation he may have 
acquired. 

"The commandmg general will never cease to remember that 
he belonged to the Reserve Corps. He will Match with eager- 
ness for the deeds of fame which he feels sure they will enact under 
the command of his successors, and though sadly reduced in 
numbers from the casualties of battle, yet he knows the Reserves 
will always be ready and prompt to uphold the honor and glory 
of their state." 

I have now traced the commanders of the Reserve Corps from 
its origin down to the second invasion of Pennsylvania by Gen- 
eral Lee and the battle of Gettysburg. Meade was suddenly 
called to a liigher plane of duty, to command the veteran Army 
of the Potomac. He did not solict that honor. On the contrary, 
it came unexpectedly upon him as a duty, and, like the good and 
true soldier that he was, he promptly assumed the command on 
the 28th of June, 1863, at Frederick City, and three days after- 
ward the most decisive battle of the war began, and in three days 
more its greatest victory was won. 

I shall not attempt to describe the battle of Gettysburg. Other 
speakers who will follow and who took part in it with the Reserves 
will do that better than I can. In this great battle the Reserves 
Avere commanded by another gallant Pennsjdvanian, General 
Samuel Wylie Crawford, a native of Franklin county. At the 
battle of Antietam, while in command of the First Division of 
Mansfield's corps. General Crawford was severely wounded in the 
thigh, from which he has not recovered to tliis day. He was 
rallying a regiment which had broken when he received his wound, 
but refused to be taken from the field and remained with his men 
cheering them on victory. 

On the 3d of June, 1863, General Crawford was assigned to 
command the Reserves. He was their leader in the battle of 
Gettysburg, and here he displayed the highest qualities of a sol- 
dier — good generalship and heroic courage. 

General CraAvford also commanded tlie Reserves in the battles 
of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House and Bethesda 
Church. On the 1st of June, 186-i, he issued liis fareAvell order 



78 Pmiisi/lvania at Gcflyfihunj. 

to his war-worn Reserves, assuring- them that they had nobly sus- 
tained liim with unwavering- fidelity in the many trying scenes 
through whii'li they had passed. He regretted that lie could not 
return to Pennsylvania with them, and said it would ever be his 
pride that he was once their commander, and that side by side 
they fought in campaigns which will stand unexampled in his- 
tory. Of all the commanders of the Reserve Corps, General 
Crawford is the only surviving one. 

Comrades, I desire to pay a merited tribute to Brevet Major- 
General Horatio G. Sickel, of the Third Reg-iment of Reserves, 
who commanded the Reserve Corps for a short time in the earlj- 
\yAi'i of 1863, after the battle of Fredericksburg, and was in com- 
mand of the Second Brigade of the corps at Alexandria, when the 
battle of Gettysburg was fought. He was a brave, cool and 
faithful soldier, who entered the army from civil life in 1861, and 
enjoj'^ed the confidence of every commander of the corps. He 
died this year, mourned by all his comrades. 

General Meade was harshly and most unjustlj^ criticised for his 
management of the battle of Gettysburg-. He was censured for 
not pursuing and destroying Lee's army. In a conversation 
in Philadelphia with General Meade some eight years after the 
liattle, I asked him whether, with all the kn(JA\'ledg-e he had sub- 
sequently received of the strength and movements of the Con- 
federate Army, and of his abilitj^ to attack Lee on his retreat, he 
felt that he was justified in doing as he did after the battle. 

He replied in nearly these words: — "I am fully convinced that 
the course I pursued was right. If I had attempted to attack 
Lee on his retreat, in liis stronghold along the Potomac, the re- 
sult might have been disastrous to the Union cause ; aiid all the 
fruits of our victory have been lost. It was too g-reat a risk to 
take, and I am satisfied that I did right m not forcing another 
battle at that time, in the exhausted condition of our ti'oops. You 
know how hard General Lee tried to crush General McClellans 
army in the Seven Days'Battles, but he failed to doit undermuch 
more favorable circumstances than those that existed with the 
Union troops after the battle of Gettysburg." 

General Meade has never had justic(! done him for the vast ser- 
vice he rendered the nation in the victor}^ at Gettysburg. Bum- 
side failed at Fredericksburg, Hooker made another failure at 
CliancoUorsville, but Meade was a triumphant success on this 
hist(n-ic field. He was then at the head of a victorious army, 
Avhich had achieved the most decisive triumph of the war, and 
brokf'ii tlie l)ackb()ne of the rebellion; vet Ik; was forced to sub- 



Pennsylvania af (jcttiinhnrii. 79 

mit to the indig-nity of liaviug- General Grant placed over him 
as his superior in command in the army that Meade had fouo-ht 
so Avell. 

The authorities at Washing-ton probably did it tor diplomatic 
reasons. General Grant was a true soldier, and so was Meade. 
AVlien Grant was ordered to command the Army of the Potomac, 
Meade, as his subordinate, obeyed, as a good soldier should, and 
gave Grant a hearty and nncomi)laining support until the A\'ar 
of the Rebellion ended. 

In Philadelphia, where the ashes of McCall and Meade repose, 
responsive to the vernal sun of each recurring year, the survi- 
vors of the Peunsjdvania Reserves and their Grand Army com- 
rades march abreast to deck their graves with flowers— emblems 
of those brightest blossoms of the soul, love, veneration and 
gratitude. But Decoration Day for us may soon be celebrated 
in a fairer clime, where generous fruits on trees immortal grow: 
and ere we pass that silent river, shining brighter with the 
Christian's hope, we fain would leave a grateful tribute on the 
battle-field of Gettysburg to General George G. Mead(;. This is 
the duty that still remains. 

Pennsylvania owes it to herself to here commemorate the glorj- 
of the hero who saved her soil from the armies of the devastat 
ing- foe. To Meade, who repelled the invading enemy, let the 
Memorial Hall be dedicated, that it may prove the shrine of pa- 
triotism for future generations. 

A monument to Meade should also be erected in the National 
Cemetery as. a companion piece to that of Reynolds. They were 
united in life, and in death their glory should not be parted. On 
Round Top let Memorial Hall arise, a fitting consecration to 
Meade's great victory on this field. Let it be a treasury of trophies 
and mementoes of all the Pennsylvania regiments that fought 
at Gettysburg. 

The Board of Commissioners on Gettysburg Monuments have 
done their duty well in erecting the monuments we dedicate to- 
day. To no abler hands could the duty of erecting a monument 
to Meade and a Memorial Hall on Little Round Top be entrusted. 

Comrades! We stand uj^on the battle ground of Truth ti-ium- 
phant! On the field of Gettysburg thousands shed their blood, 
and gave their last sigh for freedom : Here shiv(n-y died amid its 
worshippers, and here, in enduring marble, W(^ ]ilace the record 
of our comrades' deeds. Words ai'e faint to iiaint the glories of 
immortality ; but here our hands have raised and our eyes have 
seen the signs and symbols of lines eternal which shall bear wit- 
ness through all the ages to come. 



80 Pennsylvania at Geffy.shurg. 

AVheii tlie wild winds of winter hold their revels amid these 
sacred stones, beneath the snow's soft mantle, or decked with 
tlowers of opring-, these monuments Avill still remain the tokens 
of the perennial honor, love and affection in which we hold tlie 
memory of cur commanders. 

In the inimitable thought of President Lincoln, when he stood 
upon this hallowed ground, rather let us say that these monu- 
ments dedicate us, the fellow soldiers of the brave, to the service 
of a deathless memory and love of country. For these there needs 
no tear nor melancholy sigh. Life can give no more than death, 
after well-earned glory; nor has the tomb its chill for him who 
sleeps beneath the soldier's flag. 



thb: third brigade at Gettysburg. 



Lieutenant William Haves Grier. 

COMKADES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: You have 
listened to the man who called into being, as soldiers, every 
man who wore the blue, from Pennsylvania, during the 
war, and who was known in my boyhood days as the " silver- 
tongued orator from Snowshoe ; " you have listened to the talented 
editor who commanded regiments and brigades ; j^ou have listened 
to the scholar and soldier, who had much to do with the inside 
workings of the division, and you will hear from. the brilliant 
soldier, who is the honored Governor of this Commonwealth, and 
last, but not least, you will hear from Major Chill W. Hazzard, the 
humorist from the banks of the Monongahela, and in their midst, 
or as it were, like the meat in a sandwich, stands the liigh private 
in the rear rank. And now, comrades, what do you think would 
have been the status of this crowd of speakers, along- the Poto- 
mac, in 1863? I can tell you, with the exception of the private, 
all of them would have been sitting in a marquee, sipping Apol- 
linaris water, and your humble servant, with a gun on his shoulder, 
Avould have been marching up and down in front of the tent, 
g-iving them that protection they so much needed. And as long 
as the soldier kept guard they would have been safe. They may 
need care to-day and tluit may be the reason wliy a private was 
injected into the programme, as a little leaven sometimes leavens 
the whole lump. They won fame in their country's service, but back 
of it all stands the jirivate soldier. They, no doubt, appreciate 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 81 

the fact that without the work of the private soldier they would 
yet be with us, iu the ranks of the common herd. 

We do not envy them their good luck, and hope each one may 
yet be invited to go higher and higher. 

To sing- the story of a brigade's heroic deeds in battle may seem 
to be an easy task, but when it is considered that over twenty-seven 
years have come and g-one since the battle of Gettysburg- was 
fought and won, you may well ask one another whether it is i^os- 
sible for memory to enable you to g-ive any of the details of the 
action or services of any brigade with which you may have been 
connected. Those of you who were, as I was, an enlisted man in 
the ranks, can readily appreciate the fact that the duty assigned 
me is about as hard as was the scaling of Round Top at mid- 
nigfht. A private soldier knew but little of what occurred outside 
of his own company or regiment, and when he did get any infor- 
mation concerning his brigade, division or corps, he received it 
from the newspapers. He read it to-day and forgot it to-morrow, 
because it was not impressed upon his mind with the vividness 
and distinctness that came from actual experience. 

When the g-enial secretary of the Monument Commission wrote 
me extending an invitation to "make an address that should re- 
late to the services of the Third Brigade in battle," I was surprised, 
and when in his invitation he further said that these "addresses 
will be embraced in a volume in connection with other dedicatory 
services to be published by the state, and will therefore be matters 
of history," I was more than surprised. The secretary knew full 
well that I was not in sympathy Avith the project of placing- tomb- 
stones or markers as monuments for the Reserve regiments, and 
I concluded that his kind invitation was a trap iu which to catch 
a fellow who would not otherwise Avork well in harness. I hesi- 
tated about accepting- the trust, and can explain in a very few- 
sentences Avhy I did not show my usual alacrity whenever any- 
thing- pertaining to the old Reserves was on the tapis. 

The grand idea of a " Memorial Hall " on the battle-field origi- 
nated in the mind of the great and glorious War Governor, An- 
drew G. Curtin, and he presented the idea so strongl}^ to the 
different committees of the different regiments, that they followed 
him almost unanimously. They ol)e3^ed his call in 1861 and never 
regretted that they had him for their god-father : they fell in with 
his idea of a "Memorial Hall," and it became part of then- nature. 
The glorious "old man" met the boys in different sections of the 
state, always carrying with him the plans and specifications for 
his cherished "Memorial Hall." Shortly after the assembling- of 
6 



82 Pennsylvania at Getfysbiuy. 

the Legislature in 1889, he again met representatives of the regi- 
ments in the Adjutant General's office, at Hanisburg, and then 
and there was drafted a bill that, if passed and approved, would 
give us a "Pennsylvania Memorial Hall" that would be a credit 
to the state, and overshadow any and everything erected by other 
states on the battle-field of Gettysburg. In that bill w^e were not 
selfish, but had a genuine feeling of comradeship for our brother 
soldiers of Pennsylvania, as it contained a provision that "each 
and every regiment from oui' glorious old state, engaged in the 
battle, should have a tablet in the wall to recount its services, 
and relate its history." When the bill was finished and presented 
to the Legislature we went home feeling happy. Under the pro- 
visions of the KaujBfman bill providing for the erection of monu- 
ments on the battle-field, the Reserves were entitled to a lump 
sum of $13,500, and the amount asked for in the Memorial Hall 
bill was but $25,000, and in asking for the additional $1 1,500 we 
purposed, as I have before stated, taking care of the other regi- 
ments from our state. The Legislature kindly passed the bill, 
and again we were in high feather, for now our "Memorial Hall" 
was regarded as a certainty. Kind friends flocked to our aid. 
One party offered us the ground, another the granite, another the 
glass, and a fourth one came in with an offer of all the iron neces- 
sary for its erection. The building was to have been built of 
granite, iron and glass, and with the generous tenders of all the 
articles needed, we saw our way clear to erect with the $25,000 
granted us by the Legislature, a soldiers' monument or memo- 
rial hall worthy of the memory of the dead who surrendered 
their lives in repelling Rebel invasion of the old Keystone. 

But on a bright May morning the papers of the state sent a 
cold chill down the backs of every Reserve soldier. There, in cold 
type, was spread out the fact that our soldier comrade, Governor 
Beaver, had vetoed the bill giving us our Memorial Hall " for 
constitutional reasons." We were displeased, disgruntled, and 
some of us condemned him in severe terms. We were probably 
wrong, for he was too good a soldier to do us an injustice, and 
we must be content in believing that he was doing his duty as he 
saw it, in vetoing the measure. We regret that he found it nec- 
essary to dash to the ground our fondest hopes. We have every 
reason to believe that he was, personally, in sympathy with <mr 
project, for "he himself hath said it." 

That veto dampened our ardor but did not entirely submerge 
us. We met again and again and made several attempts to de- 
vise ways and means to get our Memorial Hall, but in the end the 



Pennsylvania at Gettyslmry. 83 

veto was victorious. The law authorizing the erection of the 
monuments and the appointment of a Commission, g-ave the Com 
mission appointed under that law no alternative but to go ahead 
and execute it. They exceeded their authority in g-ranting- us time 
to appeal to the Legislature, and patiently awaited our venture 
in that direction. While some have been disposed, your speaker 
among the number, to censure the Commission for what they 
deemed an attempt not to give proper recognition to the Keserves, 
we now feel like saying that it was merely a case of diamond cut 
diamond. The Reserve committee did not like the Commission, 
or some parts of it, and to a certain extent ignored it, and received 
the same treatment in return when the plans for the monuments 
of some of the regiments were ready for the chisel of the sculp- 
tor. We never saw the designs, and we suppose it was because 
we had no business with them. 

But to-day we are here to dedicate the monuments. We have 
them in place of the Memorial Hall, and we are indebted to the 
Commission for them. It is our duty to thank them for their 
work, for it was a labor of love, and not of emoluments, but, on 
the contrary, vexation of spirit was often their portion. Their 
work has been completed and they can rest content in the knowl- 
edge of the fact that they performed their whole duty under the 
law. 

The " services of the Third Brigade " in this battle can be told 
in a few sentences. On many another hard-fought field the 
" Third Brigade " performed greater work and lost many more brave 
men than it did at Gettysburg, but that was not the fault of the 
brigade. It was because the opportunity for actual conflict was 
not presented us, although the places occupied by the different 
regiments were positions of importance and were held and would 
have been held against all comers. The brigade was under the 
command of General Joseph W. Fishei', and was composed of the 
Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Regiments. The first 
day's fight found us on the road, having left Uniontown, Md., at 
5 o'clock in the morning. We were on the extreme right of the 
army, and at 6 o'clock in the evening we were within five miles of 
Hanover. Here we exchanged our cartridges and prepared for 
an emergency, and then started again and marchtMl until 1 o'clock 
on the morning of the second, and encamped five miles this side 
of Hanover. Here we learned of the death of the lamented Rey- 
nolds. On the morning of the second we broke camp at 5 a. m., 
and marched two miles and halted for breakfast. We then moved 
and arrived near Gettysburg at noon. Rested until 5 p. m., when 



84 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

we were ordered forward, and just at the time the First Brig-ade 
made its memorable cliarg-e. At this time, and the place being 
to the right of Little Round Top, our brig-ade was separated. The 
Fifth and Twelfth Reg-iments were sent to Big Round Top, and 
in connection with a skirmish line from the Twentieth Maine, oc- 
cupied the hill from the summit to the ravine at its foot, the Fifth 
being at the top of the hill and the Twelfth on its right. In those 
places they remained until the morning- of the 4th of July when 
their positions were reversed. Our friend Bachelder has the po- 
sitions on his map as they were on the morning of the 4th, but 
not as they were during the battle. 

Right here I think it proper to challenge the location of the 
Twelfth Reserves' monument. If it is intended to mark the spot 
occupied by the regiment on the 4th of July, or after the battle, 
then it is correct, but if it is intended to mark its location during 
the engagement, then it is a fraud on the regiment, and falsifies 
history. It agrees with Bachelder's map,* but that is not correct, 
as far as regards the Fiftli and Twelfth Regiments. I do not 
make this assertion from memory, but evidence written at the time, 
in my diary, and which is yet in my possession, and I stand ready 
to prove the truth of my assertion. 

The Ninth and Tenth Regiments occupied the valley between 
Big and Little Round Top, and the Eleventh was between the 
Trostle House and the wheat-field along with the First Brigade. 

Our work was mainly one of watching the movements of the 
enemy and holding the keys of the field. While the Third Bri- 
gade, as well as the First and Second, was always ready to obey 
orders, it was the luck of chance or tlie luck of war that prevented 
us from accompanying the First Brigade down into the valley of 
death. We saw them starting and knew that it meant death to 
many — and when we started in another direction we knew not 
whither Ave were going, but like good soldiers followed our leader, 
trusting to a kind and over-ruling Providence to give us victory 
over death and the enemy. 

And here to-day we stand rendering homage to our comrades 
who fell in the f ore-front of battle twenty -seven years ago. The 
nation yet mourns their loss, but it will take another generation 
before their familiar faces will be missed at their home firesides. 



*TI)e positions as sliowu upon the map were marked by tlie commander of 
the brigade, Brigadier-General J. W. Fisher, in the fall of 1863. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 85 



WHEN VICrORY BEGAN. 



By Majok G. B. Hotchkins, Surgeon, Fikst I'ennsylvania 
Reserve Cavalry. 



High above our field of glory 

Round Top's boulders, once so gory, 

Shall record the sacred story, 

Tell of Pennsylvania's bleeding. 

While for place of danger pleading, 

Sight of peril never heeding. 

With the Nation's heroes blended, 

Brave, her sons her .soil defended. 

Heeding naught as they contended, 

Naught but thought of homes in danger. 

Spoiled by armed vagrant ranger, 

Ravaged by the vengeful stranger ; 

When the Union's arch sustaining. 

Firm the Keystone bore the straining. 

Every stone in place retaining. 

Every stone in blood cemented, 

Blood a Nation's sons presented. 

Sons who met their death contented. 

On their country's love relying. 

Other wishes all denying, 

Glad, their country' saved by dying ; 

Let those archives tell it clearly, 

How the day was lost so nearij% 

How the hill was .saved .so dearly, 

Our Reserves to rescue rushing 

Met that host so dread and crushing. 

Battled while their blood was gushing 

From defeat the triumph bringing. 

From the battle's crisis winging. 

Over hill and valley ringing. 

Shouts with battle's thunder bb'uded. 

Shouts that end of war portended. 

Echoed on till war was ended ; 

Then Rebellion's hoj)e was broken : 

Bravely .still its words were spoken . 

Hands were nerved and hearts were oakeu : 

Battling on, like watch dog wounded. 

Brave defiance still it sounded. 

Backward still it must be pounded : 

Never smiling, hopeless tolling. 

Serpent-like, forever coiling, 

Stubborn, every onset foiling. 

Sorely, sadly, ever rcnded. 

Every blow it tearless fended ; 

Broken died, but never bended. 



86 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



TRANSFER OF THE MONUMENTS TO THE BATTLE-FIELD 

MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION. 



Hon. James A. Beaver, Governor ok the Commonwealth. 



1i TR. PRESIDENT: After what you have told us of the or- 
\ /I g-anization of the Reserves, after what we have heard 
1 T X from those well able to tell it, of the story of its com- 
manders, and of the part taken in the battle by those regimental 
organizations which were present, it is certainly not necessary, 
and would scarcely be becoming in me to attempt to say any- 
thing in regard to that famous organization. 

It seems to me, however, ladies and gentlemen, that it is en- 
tirely proper for me to speak very briefly, before the formal pre- 
sentation of the monuments which mark the part taken by the 
Pennsylvania Reserve reg-iments in the battle of Gettysburg, to 
the Gettysburg Battle-field Memorial Association, of the wise 
forethought and patriotic impulse which sugg-ested the organi- 
zation of that famous corps. 

No sing"le act of any individual executive .of any of the several 
states which supported the government in the war of secession 
displayed more of wisdom and more of patriotism, or exerted a 
more decided influence upon the immediate and final results of 
that war, than the proclamation of our distinguished chairman — 
then the Chief Executive of this Commonwealth — convening the 
Leg-islature of Pennsylvania in special session for the pui-pose of 
providing for the defense of the state and the future exigencies 
of the government. 

The prescience of the needs of the state, and the necessities of 
the nation therein exhibited, were remarkable, and, in view of 
subsequent events, almost prophetic. The g-rasp of the situa- 
tion, as thus shoAvn by the Governor, and the subsequent adop- 
tion and embodiment of his recommendations in appropriate form 
by the leg-islative branch of the government of Pennsylvania, 
had a controlling influence in determining- the status of Pennsyl- 
vania as ouv3 of, if not the foremost, defender of the Union, and 
in saving the country from disaster and her arms from disg-race- 
ful defeat. 

1 do not undervalue the service of the distinguished men who 



Pennsylvania at Oettyshurg. 87 

filled, and filled worthily, the place of chief executive of our 
loyal states. Their patriotic purpose, wise plans and energetic 
efforts, are well known and fully appreciated. It is nevertheless 
true, however, that the Governor of Pennsylvania seemed to 
grasp more fully and to recommend more clearly, the things 
which were absolutely necessary in order that the Avar might be 
as brief, and its inevitable results as little hurtful to our people 
as possible. When it is remembertid that the proclamation of 
the Governor convening the Legislature in extraordinary session, 
for the purposes therein set forth, was issued at a time when 
Pennsylvania's quota of troops under the first call of the Presi- 
dent of the United States for seventy-five thousand men had 
scarcely more than been filled, the extraordinary character of his 
plans and purposes became more fully apparent. The "long 
line of border on states seriously disaffected and which must be 
protected," was clearly set forth; and, "the necessity for furnish- 
ing ready support to those who have gone out to protect our 
borders," was duly emphasized. The recommendation for " the 
immediate organization, disciplining and arming of at least fifteen 
regiments of infantry, exclusive of those called into the service 
of the United States," almost necessarily followed and was 
quickly consummated. 

It is needless to speculate upon the results which must have 
followed if Pennsylvania had been permitted to employ this 
magnificent body of citizen soldiery upon her southern border, 
as was contemplated in its original organization. In its incep- 
tion, designed primarily and specially for that purpose, this com- 
pact and thoroughly well-trained division would have afforded 
ample protection to the citizens of Pennsylvania from the incur- 
sions made from time to time by those who were in armed rebel- 
lion against the authority of the general government, and would 
have prevented the enormous losses which were necessarily en- 
tailed upon our people by the temporary invasion of hostile 
armies and predatory raids of hungry cavalry. It is almost cer- 
tain that if the Pennsylvania Reserve Division had been em- 
ployed in the service for which it was originally designed, the 
battle of Gettysburg would not have been fought. Chambers- 
burg would not have been burned, and no organization of insur- 
gent forces would ever have looked upon the capital of our 
state. 

The authorities of Pennsylvania were in advance of those of 
the general government, however, and when the necessity arose, 
true to her loyal instincts and resolves, our Reserve Corps was 



88 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

trausferred to the general service, and oiir border left to be cared 
for as the exig-encies of war might dictate. This first experience 
was sufficient to deuionstrate the futility of the organization of 
any body of troops to be employed and maintained under state 
control, and subsequent events made this more painfully appar- 
ent. Even the large bodies of militia, organized and equipped 
during the several (emergencies when Pennsylvania's border was 
threatened, her territory invaded, and her citizens temporarily 
driven from their homes and subjected to great loss, were trans- 
ferred as soon as placed in the field to the direction and control 
of officers of the general government. 

The protection of our bordei- was not the only object of the or- 
ganization of our Reserve Corps, however. The necessities of 
the general government, occasioned by the retirement of men 
from Pennsylvania and elsewhere, who had been mustered into 
the military service for three months, demanded its transfer to a 
broader and more immediate sphere of operations, and when that 
demand was formally made the whole force, organized and equip- 
ped under the foresight and energy of the Pennsylvania author- 
ities, was transferred to and become a part, although a very dis- 
tinctive part, of the armies of the United States. In conse- 
quence of that transfer, a portion of the regiments of the corps 
took part in the battle of Gettysburg, as you have already heard, 
and Ave are here and now assembled to transfer to the Gettysburg 
Battle-field Memorial Association the artistic monuments which 
mark that service, and which will testify to the on-coming genera- 
tions the faithfulness and the heroism with which it was rendered. 
These monuments stand upon a conspicuous portion of the bat- 
tle-field. They have already attracted much attention, and will 
make still more prominent and interesting that portion of the 
field. 

Pennsylvania has a right to be proud of the part taken by her 
citizen soldiery in the great battle fought upon her soil, and ac- 
knowledges the services thus rendered with gratitude. At every 
critical period of the conflict Pennsylvania seems to have been 
prominent, but at no time, perhaps, did her sons render more 
faithful S(^rvice, and secure more abiding and satisfactory results 
than when i\w, two brigades of the Pennsylvania Reserves, in the 
Third Division of the Fifth Corps, made th<3 famous charge which 
saved our left flank, and gave full and final possession of Round 
Top and Little Round Top and their approaches to the Federal 
Army. This service, and that which was rendered by the cavalry 
and artillery of the Reserve Corps, ai-e commemorated by these 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 89 

monuments. We formally transfer them to the care and custody 
of the Gettysburg- Battle-field Memorial Association. 

As the representative of the commonwealth, ac^ting- under the 
instructions of the Commissioners api)ointed foi- the erection of 
Pennsylvania's monuments upon this field, I have the honor to 
make this formal transfer, assured that no similar monuments 
commemorate more distinguished and heroic service. 



ACCEPTANCE OF THE MONUMENTS. 



By Brevet Major Chill. W. Hazzakd, 

Oy the Gettysburg Battle-field Memorial Association. 



What Mean These Stones? 

We read in the Bible of Joshua: How that g-reat General, in 
his campaign against Jericho, when he came to the Jordan, the 
river parted, and the children of Israel passed over dry shod. 

And they called the place Gilgal. 

In commemoration of this event the Lord directed Joshua to 
have one man from each tribe tak<5 up a stone, and having come 
to the other side, build there a monument. 

And the reason of it was this: So that, when your children 
ask, in time to come, "What mean these stones?" it shall be told 
them that the Lord showed his favor to the children of Israel. 

The monument set up at Gilgal was to " tell the story " to the 
children in time to come. 

You are here to-day to set up a pile of stones, as did Israel at 
Gilg"al, to tell the story to those who may come after you, and 
who will ask, "What mean these stones?" 

Before we answer the question let us journey upon the earth, 
and make the same inquiry of other monuments that have been 
builded by the children of men. 

Let us start at Gilgal and go over by the Nile. There stand the 
pyramids. What mean these stones ? They mean that Ramesis, 
in his ambition to be remembered forever, built the pyi-amids as 
monuments for himself and his \vives that his name should 
never be forg-otten. It was human endeavor to buy with riches 
eternal fame. How absolutely it failed. Not only has his name 
faded from the memory of men, but he himself was not even 



90 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

buried tliere. When, forty centuries later, the tomb is forced, 
the sepulcher is empty. 

We stand beside the Grecian AcropoHs at Athens and ask, 
■' What mean these stones'?" The answer comes, "This was once 
a pile of beauty — tlie most famous of its kind in all history — set 
up to perpetuate the greatness of the land of art and philosophy ; 
the intellectual leader of the classic world. 

The Acropolis is in ruins. Greece is a power no more. 

We stand beside the CoHseum at Rome, and ask, " What mean 
these stones?" They mean that Rome was once the mistress of 
the world, her emperors all powerful, her armies invincible ; they 
mean that this power, unchecked by Christian influences, became 
cruel, and thatwdthin the walls of the great amphitheatre. Christian 
martyrs were "butchered to make a Roman holiday." 

"When the children of men stand beside the foundation stones 
of the Obelisks along- the Nile, they ask, "What mean these 
stones?" The story is soon told. An Egyptian princess carved 
the record of her beauty and her riches upon the Cleopatrian 
Needles, and set them up to remain for all time. Now one stands 
by the Thames the other by the Hudson, and they tell no story 
to anyone, save that personal greatness, even though writ on 
granite, will not live forever. 

We go to Waterloo, stand beside the lion's mound, and ask, 
"What mean these stones?" The answer comes, they mean the 
end of ambition, the end of a conqueror's thirst for blood. They 
mean that there is a Waterloo for every mere personal thirst for 
fame alone, and that France and freedom were to live for each 
other. 

We stand before the German monument of "Victory" on the 
Konigsplatz and ask, "What mean these stones?" They mean 
the re-unification of G<Tmany and thci foundation of a new empire. 
They tell to Germany the daring deeds of a long-gone past, 
when the tribes slew the forces of Varus in the defiles, and sent 
him back to Rome to meet the sorrowful greeting of Augustus, 
"Oh, Varus, Varus ! give me back mj^ legions." But they tell of 
no slave set free, no bonds broken, no enlargement of human lib- 
erty ; they tell that the dynasty of Hohenzollern is established. 
And while Eni])eror William died the oldest sovereign in the 
world, and the most striking figure of the nineteenth century, yet 
the pile by the Konigsplatz tells only of the divine right of kings, 
the aristocracy of the Kaiser, and the servitude of subjects. By 
tliat pile of st()U(!S we catch no glimpse of the inalienable right 
to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 



Pennsylvania at Getty sbury. 91 

We come to Bunker Hill monunient and ask, "What mean 
these stones?" They mean that there is to be no government on 
this soil with taxation without re}3resentation ; they mean that 
our forefathers " brought forth on this eontinent a nation conceived 
in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created 
equal." 

We stand beside Bartholdi's statue of Liberty Enlig-htening- the 
World, and, with our hands upon its broad foundation, ask, 
"What mean these stones?" They mean that Columbia stands 
with beacon light to welcome the oppressed of every land and 
every clime ; welcome them to our hearts and our homes ; welcome 
them to the legacy of our freedom and our glory — to an undivided 
country and an unsullied flag. 

And now we have come to-day to stand beside these monuments, 
these granite markers, set up by the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- 
vania for the flower of its soldiery, for its gallant Reserve Corps. * 
And when the children of men come and ask, " Wliat mean these 
stones ? " the answer will not be — they tell us of Curtin, of McCall, 
of Meade, and Reynolds, and Ord, and Crawford; of Biddle, 
Roberts, and McCandless, and Gallagher; of Sickel's and Talley, 
Mann and Woodward, and Simmons and Fisher; of Ent, and Sin- 
clair, and Henderson and Baily ; of Jackson, and McCalmont, and 
McCoy ; of Taggart, and Hardin, and Hartshorne ; of Bayard, and 
Taylor, Easton, Cooper and Ricketts, nor of a hundred othez's as 
daring and as noble. 

The answer will not be — they will not tell us of Dranesville 
where the Reserve Corps fought and won a victory all its own, 
nor of Mechanicsville. nor of Gaines' Mill, nor New Market, nor 
Malvern, nor Bull Run, nor South Mountain ; they tell no story 
of Antietam, nor Fredericksburg, nor Bristoe ; no storj^ of Mine 
Run, nor the Wilderness, nor Spotsylvania, nothing of the North 
Anna, nor of Bethesda Church. These stones will not even tell 
to the children of men how the Reserves fought here at Gettys- 
burg. 

No — the deeds of men, though writ in granite, fade away. 

For ages the school children of Greece were taught to repeat 
from memory the names of the three hundred who fell at Ther- 
mopylae. Who can tell them now? 

What, then, tvill these stones tell to the children of men ? The 
answer has been given by immortal lips. They will tell of Penn- 
sylvanians who died here that this Government of the people 
shall not perish forever from the earth. These stones, these 
monuments, will say to the children of men, as Abraham Lincoln 



92 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

said when he dedicated yonder monument : " Gather ye here in- 
creased devotion to the cause for which they g-ave their lives." 

And now, in the name of the Gettysburg Battle-field Memorial 
Association, we accept these monuments, and will give them our 
tenderest care. 



SERVICES OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RESERVES AT 
GETTYSBURG. 



A T a meeting of the survivors of the Pennsylvania Reserves, 
/\ held at Reading, Penna., June 7, 1886, the following reso- 
X jL lution was offered by Colonel P. McDonough, Second Re- 
serves, and unanimously adopted : 

Wherean, On the second day of the battle of Gettysburg the Pennsylvania 
Reserves, then forming part of Meade's reserve, were ordered to Little 
Round Top to save that position, the key of the line of battle, from the then 
victorious enemy who had driven back the Third Corps under General 
Sickles and the regulars of their own, the Fifth Corps, under General Sykes ; 
and. 

Whereas, By a counter-charge of the Reserves they met and drove the 
enemj^ from said position and across the meadow beyond the stone wall, 
which they wrested from them, and thus saved the day, if notthe battle; and, 
Whereas, In many of the accounts of tiiat day's fighting great injustice 
has been done the services of the Reserves, they being in said accounts rep- 
resented as occupyinga position farther to the right and not on Little Round 
Top, and taking but little part in said action ; now that justice be done to 
the memory of the grand old division, 

Resolved, By the Pennsylvania Reserve Association, that a committee of 
seven be appointed by the president to prepare a full and truthful account 
of the part taken by the division in said battle and submit the same to tlie 
association at its next annual meeting. 
The president appointed the following-named as tlie committee : 
Ma.ior E. M. Woodward, Second Reserves, Chairman. 
Colonel W. Ross Haktshorne, Bucktails. 
Colonel Robert A. McCoy, Eleventh Reserves. 
Major .1. A. McPherran, Fifth Reserves. 
Colonel R. Bruce Ricketts, First Reserves, Artillery. 

Wallace W. Johnson, Sixth Reserves. 
Colonel P. McD<jnouou, Second Reserves. 

.John Taylor, Secretary. 




V 



.l.Tiii,hi.Ts\ , ; 



J.Slvfjr; 






LITTLE ROUND TOP 



83 PA^ /g '" MASS ^ 

BIG ROUND TOP 



♦ J 



POSITIONS AND LINESOFCHARGESOr 
THE PENNSYLVANIA RESERVES. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 93 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. 



THE committee, recog-nizing- the importance of the trust con- 
fided to them, the many years that liad elapsed since tlie bat- 
tle, and that the best memory is apt to be covered with the 
dust of time, at once determined to exhaust all sources of informa- 
tion within their reach, and that, while getting- at the facts as near 
as possible, to admit no statement that could not be clearly estab- 
lished. For this purpose a portion of the committee met on 
Little Round Top on the following 2d of July, and, accompanied 
by General Crawford, Major Chill Hazzard, and others, they had 
no trouble in locating the position of the First Brigade, from 
which it started upon its charge twenty-three years before, or in 
tracing its steps through all its movements on the field. A por- 
tion of the committee remained upon the ground several days, 
and others of it have since examined the field, in company with 
many comrades gathered there during the encampment of the 
Grand Army of the Republic, and reported the information gained 
to the chairman. It was also deemed of importance that a meas- 
urement of the distances of the charges made and other impor- 
tant parts of the field should be made, for which purpose one of 
the committee, during the winter, visited the field, and, with chain 
and compass, accomplished the work, the results of which have 
been embodied in the report. 

In regard to the misstatements that have appeared in print 
from time to time, and the injustice done our division, the com- 
mittee deem it unnecessary to refer, believing the true history of 
that great battle is yet to be written, and trusting with full con- 
fidence to the ultimate prevailment of truth. They, however, 
deem it proper to refer, to some extent, to the articles published 
in the Philadelphia Press of August 4, 1886, entitled "The Fed- 
eral Disaster on the Left," and on October 20, 1886, entitled 
" McLaws' Division and the Pennsylvania Reserves on the Second 
Day at Gettysburg," by " Lafayette McLaws, Major-General com- 
manding McLaws' Division, Lougstreet's Corps." The first article 
was a reply to Major-General Sickles' Gettysburg address, de- 
livered in that town July 2, 1886. In it Sickles says, "When the 
battle of the 2d ended * * * Crawford's division of Pennsyl- 
vania Reserves held the advanced ground I had occupied as far 



94 Pemifiylvania at Gettysburg. 

as the stone feuee beyond the wheat-field (itaUcs the com.) ; and 
this ground, so g-allantly won by Crawford and his splendid divi- 
sion, he held all ni^ht and next day, and until the retreat of Lee." 
(Crawford's official report). One of the maps, prepared by 
Brevet Major-General Charles K. Graham, accompanying Sickles' 
speech, as printed in the National Tribune July 22, 1886, also 
places Crawford's Division on the loest side of the wheat-field, 
which doubtlessly was an unintentional mistake, as we will show 
we occupied the stone wall on the east side of the wheat-field. 
This error must be kept in mind in reading- both articles of 
McLaws'. General McLaws, after quoting the above in his 
article of August 4, utterly denies the charge of the Reserves and 
the capture of the stone wall. Quoting from him, he says, " I saw 
Wofibrd's Brigade * * * emerge from the woods (evidently 
Rose's on the west side of the wheat-field) through which it had 
charged, and I halted it, and asked what was the matter. He 
said that he had been ordered back by General Longstreet ; that 
he had driven everything in his front and was resting under shelter 
of a stone wall at foot of Round Top when ordered back ; that 
there was no necessity for his coming." Further on he says, " Up 
to 11 p. m. there was no advance made against Semmes' Brigade 
(evidently at the Devil's Den), and as that command could see all 
over the ground from which General Wofford retired, they could 
tell if any Pennsylvania Reserves or any other body of men ad- 
vanced on that day, the 2d, to re-occupj'^ the ground left vacant 
by Woflbrd. I feel warranted in saying- that there was no ad- 
vance on the 2d by the Federals to re-take the positions won from 
them on that day." 

This article was ably replied to by General Crawford, in the 
Press, in which he gave the movements of our division on both 
days with accuracy. His reply evoked from General McLaws 
his second article of October 20, in which he substantiates, in his 
own opinion, his statements in his first article. The general 
says, "I accordingly formulated a series of questions which would 
cover the claim made by General Crawford, and sent a copy to 
General Wofford, whose reply was never received ; to General 
Humphreys, who commanded the Twenty-first Mississippi, in 
Barksdale's Brigade; to General Bryan, who commanded a regi 
mentin General Wofford'sBrigadeinthechargeofthe2d; * * * 
to Colonel McGlosking, [McGlashan], colonel in Semmes' Brigade 
oil the 2d, and others." 

General Humphnjys is quoted as saying, " Wofibrd's Brigade 
was not driven back, nor did they go back because they were 



Pennsylvania at GtUyshunj. 95 

afraid to fight. Wofford must have gone back by order from 
some superior authority. * * * j ^[^ jjot know of the Penn- 
sylvania Reserves under Crawford." 

General Goode Bryan says, "I can and do most positively 
assert that my command was not driven back, * * * and I 
further assert that T received the order to fall back fropa a courier 
of General Longstreet. * * * j also positively assert that 
there was no enemy on our right or front to cause us to fall back." 
(Italics McLaws'.) 

Colonel McGlosking-, or McGlashan, who evidently was at the 
Devil's Den, or to their right of it, says, " It was now dark, but 
we could distinctly hear great confusion on Little Round Top, — 
the men hastily throwing up rock intrenchments, the officers 
cursing * * *." 

He mistook Little for Big Round Top, where ho heard the 
tumult of Fisher's assault. Further on he says, " At no time after 
the first struggle were our lines attacked by any fresh troops of 
the enemy. * * * j positively assert that no attack was made 
by General Crawford's Division on any portion of the line. 

"I am aware that Wofford, at the extreme line of his advance, 
received by some mistake (?) an order from General Longstreet to 
retire. * * * General Crawford may have made such advance, 
but there was no serious fighting at the stone fence. Wotford's 
retreat was by order, and executed without fighting or being pur- 
sued, as far as I could see, and was stopped by General McLaws 
in person, as soon as the mistake was discovered, * * * but 
it left me powerless to continue the advance." 

McLaws. says, "On our left was Wofford, but separated from 
us by the 'wheat-field,' which was thinly covered by straggling 
men from Wofford and Semmes, and possibly a few of Kershaw's." 

We have quoted in full to give General McLaws the advantage 
of his own statements, but the committee can hardly comprehend 
how honorable gentlemen, who doubtless sincerely beheved in 
the correctness of their statements, could have allowed the dust 
of time to so completely settle on their memory. The committee 
recognizes that in weighing the conflicting statements, fair- 
minded people will consider the evidence of General McLaws as 
entitled to as much credence as that of General Crawford ; that 
the Confederate officer's statements equals that of your commit- 
tee. Therefore, the scales being thus equally balanced in the 
minds of impartial readers, the committee had to seek other testi- 
mony to substantiate their position, and they ai-e happy to say 
that it is of such a nature that the positive assertions of General 



96 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

McLaws will be laid out as flat as the Reserves laid out his reg-i- 
ments and brigades on those memorable days. 

Captain George AV. H. Stouch, Third Regiment, U. S. Infantry, 
now stationed at Fort Shaw, Montana Territory, who, at Gettys- 
burg, was Sergeant-Major of the Eleventh IT. S. Infantry, writes 
to the committee : " On the 2d of July our reg-iment, then be- 
longing to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Fifth Corps, 
moved from the northwest slope of Little Round Top nearly to 
the wheat-field, when it changed direction to the left and was ad- 
vancing in this new direction, when our right flank was turned 
by the Confederates. We fell back in g-reat confusion, and were 
driven to Little Round Top, followed by the enemy that had been 
in our front, and also by those on our flank. While falling- back, 
I, with Lieutenants Petee and Elder, and others, were captured 
by Woflbrd's Brigade and ordered behind a larg-e rock for shelter 
I could see distinctly over the wheat-field, and am certain there 
was no organized bodies of Confederates in support of those who 
had charged past us, nor were there any considerable bodies of 
stragglers. Some twenty of the enemy were with us behind the 
rock for some ten minutes, when they were ordered to advance. 
Some of them said they belonged to the Tenth Georgia, Semmes' 
Brigade. Some twenty minutes after our capture I heard the 
cheers of our men as they charged from Little Round Top, and 
in a few minutes the rebs ran i)ast us, and in such haste as not to 
take us Avith them. A sharp-shooter, posted behind a rock, im- 
mediately opened fire on us, killing one and wounding myself 
and Sergeant Price. In a few minutes, however, we were recap- 
tured by the Bucktails. Seeing- that this man loaded, aimed and 
fired as rapidl^^ as possible, and conceding- even that it took two 
minutes for him to fire the three shots mentioned, viz., from the 
time we Avere uncovered by the enemy until we were re-captured, 
it would hardly be conceived that a body of organized troops, 
falling- back in obedience to orders, and in regular formation, 
would be followed by the enemy at such a close interval of time. 
General Crawford's forces at this time charged beyond the stone 
wall and re-occupied the ground from which the Second Division, 
Fifth Corps, had been driven." 

Professor M. Jacobs, of the Pennsylvania College, Gettysbui-g-, 
who was within the Confederate lines during the battle, and who 
pul)lished "Notes of the Rebel Invasion," J. B. Lippincott Com- 
pany, Philadelphia, 18G4, p. 47, in speaking- of that day, says, on 
page 37, "To us, however, who were at the time Avithin the rebel 
lines, the result seemed doubtful. * * * At about G p. m.. 



Pennsylvania at Getiyshunj. 97 

it is true, we heard ' cheeriug-' different from tliat wliich liad so 
often fallen dolefully upon our ears, and some of the rebels said 
to each other, 'Listen! the Yankees are cheering-.' But whilst 
this — which we afterwards found to be the cheering- of General 
Crawford's men, as they charg-ed and drove the rebels down the 
face of Little Kound Top — afforded us a temporary encourag-e- 
raent." * * * 

We will now see what General McLaws says of July 3d. In 
his article of Aug-ust 4th we find: 

" As for the assertions that the Pennsylvania Reserves drove 
Hood's Division back on the 3d, I know that no such thing was 
done, as up to the time the order was g-iven to retire there was 
no firing-, neither by Hood's Division nor by mine, nor was there 
any infantry firing- from the other side. -^ ^ * Hood's Division 
retired because ordered back, and perhaps receded in more haste 
than mine did, because the order for it to g-o Avas not g-iven, so 
the commander told me, until after my division had g-one ; and, 
as the positions I abandoned were filled by the enemy (perhaps 
by the Pennsylvania Reserves), they came in on thefiank of Hood, 
and his left brig-ade had to g-o in double-quick. That the Penn- 
sylvania Reserves there took after them perhaps is true. * * 
My division and Hood's most certainly occupied the ground from 
which they drove General Sickles' Corps on the 2d of July until 
after Pickett's charge on the 3d, and this was done without any 
attempt being- made to recover it by any opposing- forces; and 
the several Confederate commanders were resting- quietly in their 
occupancy when * * * -^ve were ordered back to the main 
line * * *." 

In McLaws' article of October 20, he quotes Colonel McGlos- 
kiug- [McGlashan] as follows : 

"On the 3d, about 2 p. m., we were ordered to retire to our 
original position, and did so quietly and unmolested by the enemy, 
leaving- behind us the stacks of arms above mentioned." 

Further on, the colonel, speaking of Semmes' and Kershaw's 
Brig-ades, then, stationed in Hose's woods, says : " They remained 
unmolested in their positions gained on the 2d until ordered to 
retire on the Cd of July. After they retired, the enemy advanced 
and occupied the g-rounds vacated, but not entirely. Benning-'s 
and Anderson's Brig-ades, on being- notified of the order to with- 
draw that General McLaws had received, the enemy, coming: on 
the g-rouuds vacated by McLaws' Division, were thus full on the 
flank of Hood's Division, and the brigades of Benning and An- 
derson being- nearest, had to vacate their grounds hurriedly." 
7 



98 Pennsylvania at Gefti/.shi(nj. 

General McLaws then says, "From the foregoing- statements 
you will perceive that it would be impossible for me to say that 
my command was driven back by the advance of General Craw- 
ford's forces along any portion of the line held by me on the 2d 
of July or on the 3d; but, on the contrary, whatever retrograde 
movement was made was done by order of authority superior to 
those immediately commanding the troops which retired." 

In refutation, to all these denials of General McLaws and his 
officers, the committee states that, in answer to their inquiry, 
Brigadier-General R. C. Drum, Adjutant-General U. S. A., under 
date of November 29, 1887, informs them that the flag of the 
Fifteenth Georgia Infantry was captured at Gettysburg, July 3, 
1863, by Sergeant James B. Thompson, company " G," First 
Bifles (Bucktails), and wsls then in custody of his office ; that a 
medal of honor was awarded to Sergeant Thompson ; and that 
the records show that over two hundi'ed prisoners and many arms 
were captured by Crawford's Division on said day. 

Though this does not seem to confirm the statement of McLaws 
that " they remained unmolested and in their position," it seems 
to corroborate his remark that they " had to vacate their ground 
hurriedly." 

This rather remarkable statement, taken in connection with 
what follows it, we also find in General McLaws' article of Octo- 
ber 20 : " General Longstreet informs me that General Crawford 
sought an interview with him * * * and asked him 'what 
troops of his (Longstreet's) he (Crawford) had driven back at 
Gettysburg,' and that he (Longstreet) replied that he could not 
tell him, as he was not aware that any one had attacked him at 
Gettysburg." 

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the third day's fight, at 
Gettysburg, Generals Longstreet, Sickles and Crawford rode in a 
carriage together over the battle-field. 

"Tli(^ carriage drove on to the foot of Little Bound Top, and 
the talk turned on the attack by the Pennsylvania Beserves, after 
the failure of Pickett's charge, upon that portion of Longstreet's 
forces, which were in the woods opposite the Bound Tops. Gene- 
ral Crawford described, at the request of the others, the move- 
ment of his force, and recalled a statement that has been made in 
answer to a published account of his, that all of Longstreet's men 
had bejni withdrawn from those woods before the attack by the 
Pennsylvania Beserv(!s Avas made. He asked General Longstreet 
to explain how this could be, when the Pennsylvania Beserves, in 
recovering the ground lost on the second day, had captured a 



Pennsylvania at Gettyshunj. 99 

laxge number of prisoners as well as the battle-fla^ of the Fif- 
teenth Georg-ia. 

"'I can explain that at once,' replied General Longstreet. 
'After Pickett's repulse and the subsequent modilication of our 
lines, it was determined to withdraw McLaws' and Law's Divi- 
sions from those woods in front of the liound Tops. McLaws 
understood the order and complied with it, but Law misunder- 
stood and remained, and you struck Beuning^'s Bi-igade of his 
division, which contained the Georgia reg-iments.'" — Philadelphia 
Sunday Press, July 8, 1888. 

The committee, while submitting" their report, and believing- 
that every man of the Reserves who was in the battle will freely 
bear testimony to its correctness, know that it must stand the test 
of criticism of future historians. They have no fear of that criti- 
cism, but submit it with confidence to the impartial. 



THE RESERVES AT GETTYSBURG. 



A BOUT three o'clock on the afternoon of July 1, 1863, the Penn- 

/ \ sylvania Reserves crossed the line, and entering the State 

i. A. laid down in a wood. The division was commanded by 

Brigadier-General S. Wylie Crawford, IT. S. Volunteers, Major 

U. S. Ai-my. His staff consisted of, — 

Major James P. Speer, Acting- Assistant Inspector-General. 

Captain R. T. Auchmuty, Assistant Adjutant-General. 

Captain Louis Livingston, Additional Aide-de-Camp. 

Lieutenant Richard P. Henderson, Aide-de-Camp. 

Lieutenant William Harding, Ordnance Officer. 

Captain Philip L. Fox, Assistant Quartermaster. 

Major Louis W. Read, Surgeon and Medical Director. 

The brigades were : 

The First, Colonel William McCandless, Second Reserve, with 
staff as follows : 

Captain Joseph R. T. Coates, First Reserve, Acting Assistant 
Inspector-General. 

Lieutenant William A. Hoy t. Second Reserve, Acting Assistant 
Adjutant-General. 

Lieutenant John Taylor, Second Reserve, Aide-de-Camp. 

Lieutenant James B. Goodman, Sixth Reserve, Aide-de-Camp. 

Lieutenant John A. Waggoner, First Reserve, Brigade Quarter- 
master. 



100 Pennsylvania at Gcff)/sbur(j. 

Lieutenaut A. A. Scudder, Sixth Reserve, Brig-ade Commisoary. 

The res'imeuts were as follows : 

First Iliries, " Bucktails," Colonel Charles Frederick Taylor. 

First Infantry, Colonel William Cooper Talley 

Second Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Georg-e A. Woodward. 

Sixth Infantry, Colonel Wellincfton H. Ent. 

The Third,* Colonel Joseph AY. Fisher, Fifth Reserve, with 
staff as follows : 

Captain Hartley Howard, Acting- Assistant Inspector-General. 

Lieutenant John L. W'rig-ht, Acting- Assistant Adjutant-General. 

Lieutenant Charles K. Chamberlain, Aide-de-Camp. 

Lieutenant AVilliam H. H. Kern, Aide de-Camp. 

Captain Georg-e Norris, Brigade Quartermaster. 

Lieutenant Samuel Eajius, Brigade Commissary. 

Major Joseph A. Phillips, Brig-ade Surg-eon. 

The regiments were as follows : 

Fifth Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Georg-e Dare. 

Ninth Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel James McK. Snodg-rass 

Tenth Infantry, Colonel Adoniram J. Warner. 

Eleventh Infantry, Colonel Samuel M. Jackson. 

Twelfth lufanti-y. Colonel Martin D. Hardin, U. S. Ai-my. 

At dark that night the division was put in motion, and after a 
rapid and fatig-uing- march, near daylig-ht Avere laid to rest, but 
hardly an eye closed ere the drums of reveille beat. While in 
motion the news of the defeat of the First Corps and the death 
of General Reynolds f was received, depressing- the spirits of the 
men, but strengthening- their resolutions for the fight. At noon, 
after marching forty miles with but two hours' sleep, we reached 
Rock Creek, and, filing to the left from the Baltimore pike, joined 
our corps, the Fifth, Major-General Sykes, in rear and in support 
of the right of the line of battle. 

*Tlio Second Brijrafle, Colonel Horatio Ci. Sickel, Third Reserve, was de- 
tained by the authorities within the defenses of Washington. It participated 
with lienor in General George Crook's remarkable campaign in West Vir- 
ginia. Colonel Sickel was promoted Brevet Major-General U. S. V., and 
was severely wounded near tiie close of the war. 

] In the ami)ulance-wagon of the First Brigade was secretly stored a mag- 
nificent sword for presentation to General Reynolds. The General had con- 
sented to receive it upon being assured it was from the enlisted men 
only of that brigade, and that noodicer would be connected witli it. A note 
was addressed asking him, in the lull of the coining battle, to receive the 
gift direct from the boys, one being chosen from each regiment to await an 
opportuniiy to i»rcsent it to him on the field. Subsequently it was presented 
by Sergeant W. Mayes Grier, Fiftii Regiment, to the general's sister, the 
wife of Captain Henry Landis. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysbmrj. 101 

A-bout 4 o'clock, General Crawford, seeing- the First and Second 
Divisions of our corps moving- to tlie left, followed thi'ougli the 
woods to the cross-road leading to the Emmitsburg road. Here 
the division was massed in the right rear of Little Round Top, 
in and near the old brier patch. Soon after General Crawford, 
by order, sent the Third Brigade, Colonel Fisher's, with the ex- 
ception of the Eleventh Reserve, to Big Round Top to succor 
General Vincent, they marching- by the left flank. At the same 
time the First Brigade, Colonel McCandless, was moved to the 
western slope of Little Round Top and massed in column of regi- 
ment, left in front, the Eleventh Reserve being the head of the 
column. 

Little Round Top, rising two hundred and eighty feet above 
the. general water-level of the streams Avliich drain the valley at 
its base, like Big Round Top, nearly south of it and four hundred 
feet high, is of volcanic orig-in, crowned Avith wood growing amid 
bowlders of syenite. The two hills, seven hundred yards from 
crest to crest, are separated by a deep rocky depression, and form 
perfect forts covering our left flank, they being the key-points of 
the whole battle-field. The western slope of Little Round Top 
sinks to a little stream called Plum Run, which drains a swam[)y 
meadow. This run g-radually assumes the character of a rivulet 
as it enters the precincts of the Devil's Den, another chaotic dis- 
tribution of bowlders. The "Den," in an angle of this and a con- 
tributor3'^ stream that flows from Seminary Ridge, is one hundred 
and eighty feet above the water-level and five hundred j^ards due 
west of Little Round Top. Its eastern slope is steep; its Avost- 
ern, prolonged as a ridge. Its northern extremity is composed of 
huge rocks and bowlders, forming innumerable crevices and holes, 
from the largest of which it derives its name. Plum Run Valley, 
thi'ee hundred and fifty yards broad, is marshy but strewed with 
bowlders, as is also the slopes of the Round Tops. These afford 
lurking-places for a multitude of sharp-shooters, Avhom, from the 
difficulties of the ground, it Avas impossible to dislodge, so that 
at the close of the battle these hiding-places, and especially the 
"Den," were filled with dead and wounded men of the contending 
armies. Extending northward from the "Den," beyond and on 
the western side of Plum Run Valley and partially between the 
valley and the wheat-field, is a low ridge terminating in " Houck's 
Hill." From near the "Den" a stone Avall runs over the "hill,' 
through the level and beyond the "cross-road," it bordering on 
the then eastern edge of Trostle's woods. This wall, which runs 
nearly northeast on the wheat-field side, was fringed witli heavy 



102 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

timber from the "Den" to the woods at the "cross-road." The 
<listance from the " Den " to the " cross-road " is five hundred and 
eighty -three yards. This " cross-road," skirting- the northern slope 
of Little Round Top, extends northwesterly to the Emmitsburg 
road, in the southeasterly intersection of which is the peach-orchard, 
fourteen hundred and fifty yards from Little Round Top. This 
" cross-road " separates the wheat-field from Trostle's woods. This 
woods, four hundred yards long, is separated at its western end 
by the "cross-road" and a brief interval from Rose's woods, which 
sweeps to the southerly and to the easterly back to Devil's Den, 
enclosing the wheat-field on the westerly and southerly sides. The 
wheat-field is two hundred and twenty-two yards along the stone 
wall, three hundred and sixty-one yards next to Trostle's woods, 
four hundred and forty-four yards along Rose's woods, and five 
hundred yards on the southwesterly side, containing about twenty- 
five acres. 

Into the depression between the Round Tops, Law's Brigade of 
Alabamians, supported by Robertson's Texans, had forced them- 
selves, and were advancing to the possession of the Tops, when 
they were met by Vincent's Brigade of Barnes' Division of our 
corps, that had been posted there by General Warren, where the 
struggle became severe and protracted. 

As before stated, the Third Brigade had gone to the assistance 
of Vincent, and the First was massed on Little Round Top ; but 
a very short time after these movements were made the situa- 
tion in our front changed rapidly. Sickles, who had been severely 
wounded, and avIio had been struggling for hours on his line, 
extending from the Devil's Den around to the wheat-field and be- 
yond the peach-orchard, was at last overpowered and swept away. 
Ayres' Division of regulars of our corps, which had been sent to 
his aid, had gallantly held the stone wall, but was driven from it 
and forced over the valley. All the Union lines in our front were 
irrevocably broken. The valley was covered with fugitives from 
all divisions, who rushed through our lines and along the road to 
the rear. Fragments of regiments came back in disorder and with- 
<^ut arms. A section of a German battery, whose horses had all 
been killed, was abandoned by tlid gunners immediately in front 
of the right and left of the Eleventh and Sixth Reserves, and for 
a time all seemed lost Close on these fugitives came the enemy, 
liis lines irregular but massed here and there and his colors flying. 

While this scene was passing before our eyes, the brigade, Mc- 
Candless', with the Eleventh Reserve of Fisher's Brigade, formed 
into two lines, the first being composed of the Sixth on the right, 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 103 

with their left resting- on the "cross-road," the Eleventh in the 
center, and the First on the left. The second line was massed on 
the first; the Second Reserve on the rig-ht, and the Bucktails on 
the left. Before this movement could be fully executed, our front 
was practically uncovered by the fug-itives, and the enemy, recog- 
nizing the unexpected obstacle, came direct for us. The first line 
opened a destructive fire at short range, the Eleventh using "buck 
and ball," some of their muskets having the buckshot of several 
cartridges in them. 

The brigade was still left in front, facing by the rear ranks. 
In fact, so sudden had been the change in our front, we had not 
time to assume our proper formation. There cannot be the least 
doubt in the minds of those who knew the exact state of affairs 
upon the field at that time, that a few moments delay in our arrival 
on Little Round Top, the key of the field would have been lost, 
and very probably the battle of Gettysburg would have closed 
that nig-ht. On the left of the second line. Colonel Taylor, not 
realizing the position, undertook to countermarch the Bucktails, 
which movement was also attempted by the Second, but in the 
confusion of the movement they suddenly found themselves con- 
fronted and mixed up with the charging enemy. In the short 
but desperate melee that followed, the g-reater part of these two 
reg"iments charged without firing a shot. So far up the slope were 
the enemy, that the gunners of Hazlett's Battery on the crest 
were preparing to spike their guns, but this movement encour- 
aged them not to do so. The rig-ht of the line had fired three or 
four rounds, when Crawford called on the men, "in the name of 
Pennsylvania," to charge. A loud cheer broke from the boys as 
down the slope they moved, and breaking- into a double-quick 
they swept all before them over the valley and up to the stone 
wall, where a short but desperate struggle ensued. But soon thek 
banners mounted over it and into the wheat-field, where, by orders, 
they halted. On the slope and in crossing the valley the Buck- 
tails and Second inclined to the left to meet a heavy fire coming 
from that direction, thus extending our line to the full brigade 
front. So heavy was this fire, and so threatening were the enemy 
on our left, that four companiesof the Bucktails, under their major, 
dropped behind some rocks which afforded some protection to that 
flank. The other six companies advanced over "Houck's Hill" 
in line with the brigade, until they took and crossed the stone 
wall where Colonel Taylor fell, shot through the heart. Colonel 
Taylor and several officers, Avith fifteen or twenty men, were on 
the extreme left at the time, and had just discovered some two 



104 Pennsylvania at Getty sbiirg. 

or three hundred of the enemy but a short distance away. He 
promptly' demanded tlieir surrender, when nearly every man threw 
down his arms. Just then a Confederate in the rear cried out, 
with an oath, "I'll never surrender to a corporal's guard." Most 
of them a.g-ain grasped their arms, and it was by this fire the colo- 
nel was killed. The quick fire of the breech-loading- rifles induced 
some thirty or forty to surrender, the others retreating to the 
Devil's Den. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Niles being severely Avounded, Major Harts- 
horne succeeded to the command of the "Bucktails," and sent 
Captain Kinsey with his company to the left to throw out skir- 
mishers at right angles with the regiment. As they approached 
the " Den " they were met with a heavy fire, and the men taking 
cover, a lively skirmish ensued. Soon after several shells ex- 
ploded in their midst, followed by a volley from the enemy. Cap- 
tain Kinsey was severely wounded by a shell, and several men 
were killed and wounded. It now being dark the line was Avith- 
drawn a considerable distance, and a strong picket established on 
the left flank and rear. A brisk fire Avas kept up along the left 
of the line until about ten o'clock, Avlien it ceased, seemingly by 
mutual consent. 

We Avere then far in advance of our main line, Avithout imme- 
diate support, Avith the enemy in force on our left rear, and a 
heavy Avood on our right front, extending up to the enemy's line, 
affording- a covered approach. A strong line of pickets were 
throAvn out into the Avheat-field and Avood in front, and on both 
right and left fianks, Avell to the rear. Colonel Jackson, of the 
Eleventh, sent Captain Mills Avitli a portion of his company to 
prevent the enemy removing an abandoned battery through the 
night. The Avhole line lay doAvn behind the stone Avail and took 
such rest as they could under the circumstances. General CraAv- 
ford and stuff slept that night with the brigade. Lieutenant- 
Colonel AVoodAvard, on account of Avounds received at Glendah;, 
Avas unal^le to accompany his regiment from Little Eound Top, 
but slept that night at the stone Avail. The regiment in its charges 
Avas led by Major P. McDonough. 

Nearly one-half our loss during the engagement Avas from the 
severity of the enemy's fire before Ave charged. Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Porter and Lieutenant Fulton and a number of men were 
Avounded, and Lieutenant John O'Harra Wood and scA'cral men 
oi tli(! EUncaith Avere killed before they delivered tlunr first volley. 
The same to a less extent occurred in all the regiments. AVh<m 
the section of the battery Avas abandoned on our right-front the 



PennsT/lvania at GeHysburg. 105 

officer in command ordered the i?nns to be spiked. This was pre- 
vented by Lieutenant John Mc Williams, of the Sixth. Early the 
next morning- the captaiu of the battery came over to the stone 
wall and said, "The Pennsylvania Reserves saved mine pattery, 

py . I g-ets yoii fellers all drunk." His good intentions were 

duly applauded. 

About the time Fisher was sent to the left, Strong- Vincent, the 
g-eneral commanding at that point, Avas mortally wounded, and 
General Stej^hen H. Weed, commanding- a brigade, and Captain 
Hazlett, the battery on Little liound Top, were killed. Colonel 
liice had succeeded to the command. The left of his line was 
resting- just at the eastern edg-e of the valley or depression be- 
tween the Round Tops. Fisher placed the Fifth and Twelfth 
Reserves immediately in the rear of this line, and the Eighth, 
Ninth and Tenth across the depression, covering- Rice's left flank. 
The severe fig-hiug- at this point Avas over, the enemy repulsed, 
appearing- to shift to their left, on to Little Round Top. Colonel 
Fisher, in a communication to the committee, says : " I soon dis- 
covered that Big- Round Top was in possession of the enemy's 
sharp-shooters, and seeing- the annoyance they Avere to us, and 
the g-reat importance of the position, as a key of our position, I 
said to Colonel Rice, ' I will take that hill to-uig-ht.' To this propo- 
sition he assented, and proposed joining in the undertaking. 
Seeing that three regiments were all that could be conveniently 
employed, and having but two regiments that I could use without 
weakening Rice's support. Colonel Rice directed Colonel Cham- 
berlain, Avith the Twentieth Maine, to report to me. Learning 
that this regiment Avas armed Avitli Springfield rifies, I directed 
Chamberlain to deploy it as skirmishers, as my regiments, the 
Fifth, Lieutenant-Colonel Dare, and the Twelfth, Colonel Hardin, 
Avere armed Avith altered Harper's Ferry muskets. In the m^au- 
time I had sent staff officers to report to Generals Sykes and 
CraAvford my proposed movements. General CraAvford, hoAvever^ 
arriving upon the grounds and approving my plan, directed me 
to 'move up at once.' The line advanced as best it could in the 
dark, up the rough side, driving the enemy before it and captur- 
ing over thirty prisoners, from some of Avhom they learned that 
'they Avere just in time,' as the Confederates had sent them Avord 
to hold the hill, as they Avere organizing a force to occupy it." 
Colonel Fisher remained in this position until the morning of the 
4th, Avhen he Avas relieved by General Wright, of the Sixth Corps. 

At the first daAVnof light the next morning, the 3d, skirmishing 
commenced in our front and Avas continued throughout the day, 



106 Pennsylvania at Gettyslnirg. 

^ve remainiuo- behind the stoue wall and the trees fring-ing its 
front, whilst the rebs, concealed in the thick foliag-e of the branches 
upon their line, annoyed us considerably. On our extreme left, 
fronting the Devil's Den, things were not so quiet. Captains 
Bell and Wolft' were sent out to develop the enemy's strength^ 
and when deployed as skirmishers, as they approached the edge 
of the " Den," the fire became severe, indicating a heavj' force, 
strong-ly posted. Taking cover, a rapid fire was opened in the 
hope of driving the enemy from his ]30sition, or forcing him to 
come out from his stronghold to drive them off. Armed with breech- 
loaders and Spencer repeating-rifles, any object that will cover 
the body is all the protection a man needs, as he is not exposed 
in loading, and this superiority in the Bucktails' arms soon g-ave 
them a decided advantag-e. The enemy were not long- in discov- 
ering this, and in superior force made a dash from the "Den,'' 
and forced the boys to make a rapid retreat to prevent the cap- 
ture of the entire party. In this charge the loss was heavy, and 
Captain Bell received a wound in the hip which caused the loss 
of a leg. The enemy, strang-e to say, did not follow up their ad- 
vantage. Thrust out, as we were, far in advance of our line of 
battle, with both flanks exposed, tliej^ should, during the night, 
have attempted to flank us out and drive us down the wall. 
Whether they would have succeeded or not is problematic, yet 
it seems strange they should have allowed our little brigade to 
occupy that advanced position without attempting- our dislodge- 
ment. Lieutenant Kratzer was then sent out with thirty volun- 
teers. Starting- on a run, they pressed up close to the "Den," 
when a volley killed and wounded one third of them. The enemy 
called upon them to surrender, but the men took cover and fired 
at every mark that presented itself, until the brigade moved. 

The battle-field is not always devoid of amusing incidents. On 
the right, two men of the Sixth found a horse tied in the wood in 
front of them, which they brought in. A youngster named Dan 
Cole, to relieve the monotony of picket-firing, mounted the ani- 
mal and rode down the front of the brigade line, playing "Buck 
McCandless." He appealed in the most pathetic tones to the 
boys to rememl)er their "daddies" and "mammies" and "best 
gal," and nciver to desert the old flag as long- as there was a ration 
left. He created much amusement until the horse bounced him 
oft' and scampered over to the rebels, when the cheers and shouts 
of both lines caiised us to forget for the moment we were enemies. 

The tumult of a c;onflict on our extreme right was heard from 
early dawn until near noon, occasioned by the Union troops re- 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 107 

g-aining- their lost ground of the evening before. This was fol- 
lowed by a stillness over the whole field — the ominous calm that 
presages a deadly storm — when at one o'clock the signal guns of 
the enemy fired, and then opened that grand cannonade in which 
two hundred and twenty-one guns* hurled their missiles through 
the air. The enemy's front for two miles was soon covered with 
smoke, through which the flashes were incessant, whilst the air 
seemed filled with bursting shells and their whirling fragments. 
The Union line blazed like a volcano, and the tiuindor of the guns 
seemed like one prolonged sound. Suddenly the fire on both 
sides ceased, and then Pickett's charge was made. From the 
position we occupied, in advance of our line' of battle, we had a 
full view as they swept by of this the most grand and thrilling 
sight the eye of man could rest on. That magnificent mass of 
living valor, so full of hope and resolution, so soon to be swept 
back, crushed, torn and bleeding, awakened in us mingled feel- 
ings of admiration and apprehension, for it seemed like an irre- 
sistible avalanche. Those gallant lines never faltered, but, lost 
to view in the smoke of infantry, they melted away, and the glad 
earth drank their blood. Disorganized stragglers and fragments 
could only be seen coming back, and they followed by a relentless 
fire. 

During this time firing ceased in our front, all eyes awaiting 
the result that was to decide the fate of the battle. In spite of 
the watchfulness of the officers, men from every regiment slipped 
away and soon formed a line of sharp-shooters upon the flank of 
the charging column. Officers were sent to drive them back, but 
the boys resorted to ingenious artifices to avoid or deceive them, 
some throwing themselves upon the ground and imitating the 
agonies of death. Several of them were w'ounded, and at least 
one killed, but tlie}^ inflicted considerable loss upon the enemy, 
whom they shot down as they marched so gallantly on or rushed 
back in flight. 

The defeat of Pickett was followed by a breathless lull, soon to 
be broken by a revengeful fire from the battery and sharp-shooters 
in our front. Major-General Meade, together with Generals Sykes, 
Warren, Sedgwick, Pleasonton and Crawford, soon gathered on 
the summit of Little Round Top, and the general-in-chief, becom- 
ing impatient at this fire, ordered General Crawford to clean out 
the woods in his front. Crawford rode to the stone wall and gave 
the necessary orders. During the night a section of a battery 

* One hundred and fifty Confederate and seventy-one Union guns. Gen- 
eral H. J. Hunt's article in tlie Century Magazine, January, 1887, p. 452. 



108 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

had been posted near the cross-road iu the iuterval between the 
Trestle's aud Eose's woods on the west side of tlie wheat-held, 
four hundred and fifty yards in our immediate front. Tlirou<;h 
the da}'^ our sharp-sho(jters had severely left it alone, as we did 
not wish to provoke an unequal contest, and it only occasionally 
fired at us. This battery it was necessary to silence ; McCandless' 
brig-ade leaped over the stone wall and deliberately dressed their 
lines. The battery opened upon them vigorously, when they lay 
down. Soon the g-unners, becoming- tired of firing at the air, 
ceased. Then the brigade rose to its feet and slowly moved to 
the left some twenty paces. Again the guns opened and Ave laid 
ourselves quietly down. This operation of see-sawing to the right 
and left was continued, successfully drawing the harmless fire of 
the guns, while the Sixth Reserve crept \\\) through Trostle's woods 
to attempt its capture. But the enemy discovered the movement, 
and, hastily limbering up, fled, the Sixth opening fire to give them 
a g-ood start. Their infantry support, after a brisk skirmish, was 
also driven in. Upon hearing" and seeing the muskets of the 
Sixth, McCandless marched the balance of his brigade by the 
right flank, and filing left, formed line of battle, aud deploying 
skirmishers to the front, right and left, charged diagonally over 
the wheat field to the southwest, receiving the enemy's fire from 
three sides. Striking- near the south end of Rose's woods, they 
half-wheeled to the right, opened fire, and charged up and through 
it to the crest, striking and piercing their line, the enemy, aftei a 
sharp resistance, breaking mostly towards the peach-orchard. The 
ground was strewed with the dead of De Trobriand's command. 
McCandless, learning- the left flank of the Bucktails, which held 
the left of the line, was being attacked, changed the direction of 
that regiment by the left flank to the rear, which movement brought 
its front facing the enemy moving upon them from this direction. 
At the same time, placing the balance of the brigade in eolunnis 
of regiments in the rear, he charged with his entire force in this 
new direction. Down through the low land and np throug-li the 
rising ground and woods went the brigade, they striking tht^ Fif- 
teenth Georgia Infantry j^osted behind a temporary bre;ist-woik 
of i-ails, the Bucktails capturing- their flag and many ])risoners. 
scattering the remainder in flight. 

The Reserves never liked charging in column of regiments, and 
in this case, as in every similar one, the rear reg-iments, Avithout 
orders, puslunl to the front, which soon changed into that of bri- 
g-ade line of battle. The right being thus extended, the whole 
line swept upon their flank, doubling up aud throwing- oue regi- 



PeyinHylvama at Gettysburg. 109 

ment upon another, creating- utter confusion and demoralization. 
Tiiey lied across a ravine at the corner of a woods and near Slyder's 
stone house. Here we discovered a brigade drawn up across 
our front about three hundred yards distant. Our impetuous 
charge had expended itself, and the men as they came up were 
quickly got into line, and they were g-athering fast, but before 
forty men were in line, to our surprise, we distinctly heard the 
orders pass down the line of "Left face, march!" The rear of 
their line, their front facing- westward, had not moved twenty paces 
before they broke, by order, into a '"double-quick," carrying- their 
banners at a trail. Had this brigade resolutely charged, they 
would have driven the head of our long-, scattered column back 
for some distance, until we could have got ourselves in shape to 
properly resist them, but such was our sudden appearance, and 
at such disadvantage to them, that they naturally became de- 
moralized and supposed we were in much heavier force than we 
really were. 

The Comte de Paris gives an account of the "piking out" of 
this brigade, which he says was Kershaw's, that Ave cannot re- 
frain from adding it, gravely surmising, however, it was the 
ingenious invention of some brilliant Confederate writer wht) 
conceived the idea of turning- their somewhat laudable exit into 
a dexterous military manoeuver. "Kershaw finds himself iso- 
lated in his turn, and believing himself already surrounded, in 
order to escape from the enemy resorts to a manoeuver Avhich Ave 
mention on account of, as the count naively says, " 'its singular- 
ity.' He sends the color-bearers of his regiments to plant their 
flag-s a few hundred yards in the right-rear, across the tributary 
of Plum Run, subsequently ordering his soldiers to break ranks 
and reform in this new position." So sudden Avas the charge that 
we killed and captured their butchers Avhile engaged in skinning 
beeves, and also a fatigue party, avIio Avere burying their dead. 
We recaptured the greater part of the battle-field lost by Sickles, 
Avith its thousands of dead and Avounded, captured the colors of 
the Fifteenth Georgia, Avhicli are )iow in the Adjutant-General's 
ofiice at Washington, and over two hundred prisoners, among them 
a lieutenant-colonel of a Georgia regiment, and captured and re- 
covered three thousand two hundred and fifty -eight muskets, one 
brass twelve-pounder, and three caissons. AVith this charge ended 
the battle of Gettysburg. The movements of both days Avere made 
under the personal direction and superA'ision of General Crawford. 

The distance charged over the wheat-field Avas seven hundred 
and fifty yards, from that point towards Slyder's house six hun- 



110 Pninsylcania at Geffyshmy. 

di'ed and sixty-six yards — fourteeu hundred and fifteen yards in 
all. Taking- them, as we did in a measure, by surprise, and on 
the fiauk, theii- rout was no disg-race to them, nor was their mili- 
tary honor tarnished. Such occurrences are not unknown in war. 
Those landless resolutes who had g-allantly performed their part 
on many hard-fought fields, and who subsequently proved their 
devotion to the end, cannot be judged as wanting- in spirit or 
courage. 

Soon after we halted, Captain Coates came with orders from Gen- 
eral Crawford for us to proceed no farther, and at this point we 
were rejoined by the Sixth Reserve. After dark we retraced our 
steps to the southwestern edge of Rose's woods and bivouacked 
on the ground where we first encountered the enemy and pierced 
their line. Here we buried our dead, some seven or eight in 
number, our wounded having been removed on stretchers follow- 
ing the charge. Some distance in our front was Rose's spring- 
house, in which lay dead a Confederate ofiicer and two men. From 
this stream we refilled our canteens, and our pickets, being con- 
cealed near it, captured a number of prisoners, who came there for 
the same purpose. All night long the ambulances and stretcher- 
men were collecting the wounded, who had lain there from the 
afternoon of the 2d. During the night a supply of ammunition 
was received, Colonel McCandless carrying it on his horse, one 
hundred and four thousand eight hundred and twenty rounds hav- 
ing been issued to the division during this battle, and at 2 o'clock 
the next morning, the 4th, we moved down the eastern side of the 
woods along the wheat-field to near its northern border, where we 
entered the woods, and, moving through it, lay down on its west- 
ern edge fronting the peach-orchard, with our right resting near 
the cross-road. Soon after daylight, the enemy's pickets called 
to us to come and get our Avounded who lay between the two 
lines. Volunteers went out for that purpose, but, being fired upon, 
returned. Several round-shots were fired from a distant battery, 
but they ricochetted harmlessly over the field. The fire Avas re- 
turned by such of the boys who felt inclined to do so; a skirmish- 
line was sent out to develop their position, but the whole afi'air 
was sjnritless, and after 10 o'clock Ave saAV no more of them on 
that field. These Avere the last shots fired at Gettysburg. 

There was an abandoned gun and caisson of a Union battery 
near Trostle's Avoods. During the morning of tlie 3d the Con- 
federates attached a long rope to the gun and tried to pull it 
over the hill near Trostle's barn-yard, but one of the Sixth, who 
Avas out hunting " grub " from the rebels' haversacks, discovered the 



Ptnusylvania at Gettysburg. Ill 

manoeuvre aud, creeping- up, cut the rope, which created quite a 
surprise to those pulling- on it. Late in the afternoon of that day, 
when the Sixth attempted the capture of the enemy's battery, 
Company "I" was sent to the extreme right to cover the house 
and barn, and when they returned they brought them into our 
lines. 

Company K, First Reserves, was from the town and n(;ig-hbor- 
hood of Gettysburg-, many of the men fig-hting- within sig-ht of 
their homes, and some even to drive the invaders from their own 
fields. The fathers and young-er brothers of some of the boys ac- 
companied them to Little Round Top, and one went to the stone 
wall with us. 

When we advanced across the wheat-field, Brigadier-General 
Bartlett, at the request of General Crawford, moved a reg-iment 
to the stone wall, and threw a force to our rig-ht to protect that 
flank. 

About noon, being relieved by a brig-ade of reg-ulars, we moved 
back to the stone wall, passing- an artillery horse seated on his 
haunches Avith his front-feet on the ground and head erect, just as 
he had been killed. Against the wall was resting- thousands of 
muskets picked up off the field. Soon after other troops came 
to the wall, and we moved back to Little Round Top, where 
rations were distributed, and where we remained until the after- 
noon of the next day, the 5th ; the rain, which commenced about 
noon of the day before, still continuing. Then we started on our 
fifth tramp up and down through Virginia. 



ITINERARY OF THE UNION FORCES IN THE GETTYSBURG 

CAMPAIGN. 



T UNE 5. — The Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major- 
I General Joseph Hooker, with headquarters near Falmouth, 
I was posted on the north bank of the Rappahannock River, 
•■ confronting- the Confederate Ai-my of Northern Virg-inia, 
under General Robert E. Lee, mainly concentrated about the 
town of Fredericksburg, on the south bank of the river. The sev 
eral commands of the Army of the Potomac were distributed as 
follows : First Corps (Reynolds') in the vicinity of White Oak 
Church; Second Corps (Couch's) near Falmouth; Third Corps 
(Birney's) at Boscobel near Falmouth : Fifth Corps, (Meade's) in 



112 Pcnnsyh'ania at Ge/ti/,sburg. 

the vicinity of Banks', United States, and adjacent fords on the 
Rappahannock; Sixth Corps (Sedg^wick's) near White Oak Church, 
with the Second Division (Howe's) tln'own forward to Fi-anklin's 
Crossing- of the Eappahannock, a little below Fredericksburg, 
near the mouth of Deep Run ; Eleventh Corps (Howard's) near 
Brooke's Station, on the Aquia Creek railroad; and the Twelfth 
Corps (Slocum's) near Stafford Court House and Aquia Landing-. 
The Cavalry Corps (Pleasonton's, with headquarters at Manassas 
Junction) had two divisions (Duflie's and Gregg's) and the Cav. 
airy Reserve Brigade, all under Buford, in the vicinity of War- 
rentou Junction, and one division (B. F. Davis') in the neighbor- 
hood of Brooke's Station. The Artillery Reserve (R. O. Tyler's) 
was near Falmouth. 

June 6. — Howe's (Second) Division, Sixth Army Corps, crossed 
the Rappahannock at Franklin's Crossing, and, after a skirmish, 
occupied the enemy's rifle-pits. Wright's (First) and Newton's 
(Third) Divisions of the same coi-ps moved to the same point from 
White Oak Church, taking position on the north bank of the 
river. 

June 7. — Wright's (First) Division, Sixth Corps, was sent across 
the Rappahannock at Franklin's Crossing, relieving Howe's (Sec- 
ond) Division, which returned to the north side. 

June S. — The Cavalry Corps (Pleasonton's), consisting of Bu- 
ford's (First), D. McM. Gregg's (Third) and Duffie's (Second) 
Divisions, and the Regular Reserve Brigade, supported by de- 
tachments of infantry, under Generals Adelbert Ames and David 
.\. Russell, moved to Kelly's and Beverly Fords preparatoiy to 
crossing the Rappahannock on a reconnoissance toward Culjieper. 

June 9. — Newton's (Third) Division, Sixth Corps, relieved 
Wrights (First) Division on the south bank of the Ra]jpahannock 
at Franklin's Crossing. The cavalry corps, supported by Gen- 
erals Ames' and Russell's infantry, cn)ssed the Rappa-hannock at 
Kelly's and Beverly Fords, fought the enemy at or near Beveily 
Ford, Brandy Station, and Stevensburg, and recrossed the river 
at Rappahannock Station and Beverly Ford. 

June 10. — The Cavalry Corps took position in the neighborhood 
of Warrenton Junction. Its infantry supports in the recount )is 
sauce of the day previous rejoined their respective commauds. 
Howe's (Second) Division, Sixth Corps, moved from Franklin's 
Crossing to Atpiia Creek. 

June J I. — The Third Corps marched from Boscobel, near Fal- 
mouth, to Hartwood Church. 

June /''^ — The First Corps marched from Fitzhugh's plantation 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 113 

and White Oak Church to Deep Kun ; the Third Corps from Hart- 
wood Church to Bealeton, with Humphreys' (Third) Division, ad- 
vanced to the Rappahannock : i\\e Eleventh Corps from the vicin- 
ity of Brooke's Station to Hartwood Church; and Headquarters 
Cavalry Corps from Manassas Junction to Warreuton Junction. 

The advance of the Confederate Army skirmished with the Union 
troops at Newtown, Cedarville and Middletown, in the Shenan- 
doah Valley. 

Jrme 13. — The First Corps marched from Deep Run to Bealeton; 
the Fifth Corps from the vicinity of Banks' Ford, via Grove 
Church, toward Morrisville ; Wright's (Fust) and Newton's (Third) 
divisions, Sixth Corps, from Franklin's Crossing to Potomac 
Creek; the Eleventh Corps, from Hartwood Church to Catlett's 
Station ; the Twelfth Corps from near Stafford Court House and 
Aquia Creek Landing en route to Dumfries ; Wyndham's Brigade 
of Gregg's Cavalry Division, from Warrenton Junction to War- 
renton ; and the Artillery Reserve from near Falmouth to Stafford 
Court House. McReynolds' (Third) Brigade, of Milroy's Division, 
Eighth Army Corps, marched from Berryville to Winchester. 

Combats : Skirmishes at White Post, Berr3^ville, Opequon 
Creek, and at Bunker Hill, and engagement (first day) at Win- 
chester, Va. 

June (4-. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from near 
Falmouth to Dumfries ; the First and Third Corps marched from 
Bealeton to Manassas Junction ; the Fifth Corps arrived at Mor- 
risville and marched thence, via Bristersburg, to Catlett's Station ; 
Wright's (First) and NeAvton's (Third) divisions. Sixth Corps, 
moved from Potomac Creek to Stafford Court House ; the Eleventh 
Corps from Catlett's Station to Manassas Junction, and thence 
toward Centreville; the Twelfth Corps reached Dumfries; and 
the Artillerj^ Reserve moved from Stafford Court House to Wolf 
Run Shoals. Daniel Tyler's command, of the Eighth Army Corps, 
fell back from Martinsburg to Maryland Heights. 

Combats : Skirmishes at Martinsburg and Berryville, and en- 
gagement (second day) at Winchester, Va. 

June 15. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from 
Dumfries to Fairfax Station : the Second Corps (Hancock's*) 
moved from Falmouth to near Aquia ; the Fifth Corps from Cat- 
lett's Station, via Bristoe Station, to Manassas Junction; the 
Sixth Corps from Aquia Creek and Stafford Court House to Dum- 

* General Hancock assumed command of the Second Corps June 9, 1863, 
succeeding General Uouch, who was assigned to the command of the De- 
partment of the Susquehanna. 



114 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. . 

fries; the Twelfth Corps from Dumfries to Fairfax Court House; 
the Cavahy Corps * (except Wyndham's Brigade, which marched 
from Warrenton to Manassas Junction, and thence on the 16tii to 
Union Mills) from AVarrenton Junction to Union Mills and Bris- 
toe Station; the Artillery Eeserve from Wolf Run Shoals to Fair- 
fax Court House ; and the Eleventh Corps arrived at Centreville. 
Milroy's (Second) Division of the Eighth Ai-my Corps, evacuated 
Winchester, and fell back to Maryland Heights and Hancock, Md. 

Combats: Skirmish near Williamsport, Md., and engagement 
(third day) at Winchester, Ya. 

June 16 — The Second Corps marched from near Aquia, via 
Dumfries, to Wolf Run Shoals, on the Occoquan ; the Sixth Corps 
fr'om Dumfries to Fairfax Station ; and the Cavalry Corps from 
Union Mills and Bristoe Station to Manassas Junction and Bull 
Run. 

June 17. — The First Corps marched from Manassas Junction 
to Herndon Station ; the Second Corps from Wolf Run Shoals to 
Sangster's Station ; the Third Corps from Manassas Junction to 
Centreville; the Fifth Corps from Manassas Junction to Gum 
Springs; the Eleventh Corps from Centre ville to Cow-Horn Ford, 
or Trappe Rock, on Goose Creek ; and the Twelfth Corps from 
Fairfax Court House to near Dranes\dlle. The Cavalry Corps 
moved from Manassas Junction and Bull Run to Aldie. 

Combats: Action at Aldie, Va., and skirmishes at Catoctin 
Creek and Point of Rocks, Md., and at Thoroughfare Gap and 
Middleburg, Va. 

June 18. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from 
Fairfax Station to Fairfax Court House ; the Sixth Corps from 
Fairfax Station to Germantown ; and the Twelfth Corps from near 
Dranesville to Leesburg. J. I. Gregg's Cavalry Brigade advanced 
from Aldie to Middleburg, and returned to a point midway be- 
tween the two places. 

Combats : Skirmishes at Middleburg and Aldie, Va. 

June 19. — The First Corps marched from Herndon Station to 
Guilford Station; the Third Corps from Centreville to Gum 
Springs; and the Fifth Corps from Gum Springs to Aldie. 
Gregg's Cavalry Division, except Mcintosh's (late Wyndham's) 
Brigade, advanced to Middleburg. Mcintosh's Brigade moved 
from Aldie to Hay Market. 

Combats : Action at Middleburg, Va. 

June 20. — The Second Corps moved from Sangster's Station to 

* By orders of June 13, 1863, this corps was reduced from three to two di- 
visions, commanded by Brig. Gens. John Buford and D. McM. Gregg. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 115 

Centreville, and thence toward Thoroughfare Gap; the Second 
Division (Howe's), Sixth Corps, from Germantown to Bristoe 
Station. 

Combats : Skirmish at Middletown, Md. 

June 21. — The Second Corps arrived at Gainesville and Thor- 
oughfare Gap. The Cavalry Corps (except Mcintosh's Brigade, 
of Gregg's Division), supported by Barnes' (First) Division, Fifth 
Corps, marched from Aldie and Middleburg to Upperville. Mc- 
intosh's Cavalry Brigade marched from Hay Market to Aldie, and 
thence to Upperville. Stahel's Division of Cavalry, from the De- 
fenses of Washington, moved from Fairfax Coui't House, via Cen- 
treville and Gainesville, to Buckland Mills. 

Combats: Skirmishes at Gaines^alle, Thoi'oughfare Gap, and 
Hay Market, Ya., Frederick, Md., and engagement at Upper- 
ville, Va. 

June 22. — The Cavalry Corps and Barnes' (First) Division, of 
the Fifth Corps, returned from Upperville to Aldie. Stahel's 
Cavalry Division moved from Buckland MiUs, via New Baltimore, 
to Warren ton. 

Combats: Skirmishes near Dover and Aldie, Va., and at Green- 
castle, Pa. 

June 23. — Stahel's Cavalry Division moved from Warrenton, 
via Gainesville, to Fairfax Court House. 

June 2If.. — Newton's (Third) Division, Sixth Corps, moved fi'om 
Germantown to Centreville, and the Eleventh Corps from Cow- 
Horn Ford, or Trappe Rock, on Goose Creek, to the south bank 
of the Potomac at Edwards Ferr3^ Stahel's Cavalry Division 
moved from Fairfax Court House to near Dranes\411e. 

Combats: Skirmish at Sharpsburg, Md. 

June 25. — The First Corps marched from Guilford Station, Va., 
to Bamesville, Md. ; the Third Corps from Gum Springs, Va., to 
the north side of the Potomac at Edwards Ferry and the mouth 
of the Monocacy ; the Eleventh Corps from Edwards Ferry, Va., 
to Jefferson, Md. ; and the Ai'tillery Reseiwe from Fairfax Court 
House, Va., to near Poolesville, Md. These commands crossed 
the Potomac at Edwards Ferry. The Second Corps marched from 
Thoroughfare Gap and Gainesville to Gum Springs. Howe's 
(Second) Division, Sixth Corps, moved from Bristoe Station to 
Centreville ; Crawford's Division (two brigades) of Pennsylvania 
Reserves, from the Defenses of Washington, marched from Fair- 
fax Station and Upton's Hill to Vienna. Stannard's Vermont 
Brigade, from the Defenses of Washington, left the mouth of the 
Occoquan en route to join the Army of the Potomac. Stahel's 



116 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

Cavaliy Division moved from near Dranesville, Va., via Young's 
Island Ford, on the Potomac, en route to Frederick, Md. 

Combats: Skirmishes at Thoroughfare Gap and Hay Market, 
Va., and near McConnellsburg-, Pa. 

June 26. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from 
Fairfax Court House, Ya., via Dranesville and Edwards Ferry, to 
Poolesville, Md. ; the First Corps from Barnesville to Jefferson, 
Md. ; the Second Corps from Gum Springs, Ya., to the north side 
of the Potomac at Edwards Ferry; the Third Corps from the 
mouth of the Monocacy to Point of Rocks, Md. ; the Fifth Corps 
from Aldie, Ya., via Carter's Mills, Leesburg- and Edwards Ferry, 
to within four miles of the mouth of the Monocacy, Md. ; the 
Sixth Corps from Germantown and Centreville to Dranesville, 
Ya. ; the Eleventli Corps from Jefferson to Middletown, Md. ; the 
Twelfth Corps from Leesburg, Ya., via Edwards Ferry, to the 
mouth of the Monocacy, Md. : and the Cavalry Corps (Buford's 
and Gregg's Division) from Aldie to Leesburg, Ya. Stahel's 
Cavalry Division was en route between the Potomac and Fred- 
erick, Md. Crawford's Pennsy lyania Reserves moved from Yienna 
to Goose Creek, Ya. 

Combats : Skirmish near Gettysburg, Pa. 

June ,'?7.— Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from 
Pooles\alle to Frederick, Md. ; the First Corps from Jefferson to 
Middletown, Md. ; the Second Corps from near Edwards Ferry, 
via Poolesville to Barnesville, Md. ; the Third Corps from Point 
of Rocks via Jefferson, to Middletown, Md.; the Fifth Corps from a 
point between Edwards Ferry and the mouth of the Monocacy to 
Ballinger's Creek, near Frederick, Md. ; the Sixth Corps from 
Dranesville, Ya., via Edwards Ferry, to near Poolesville, Md. ; the 
Twelfth Corps from near the mouth of the Monocacy, via Point 
of Rocks to Knoxville, Md. ; Buford's Cavalry Division from Lees- 
burg, Ya., via Edwards Ferry to near Jefferson, Md. ; Gregg's 
Cavalry Division from Leesburg, Ya., via Edwards Ferry toward 
Frederick, Md. ; and the Artillery Reserve from Poolesville to 
Frederick, Md. Stahel's Cavalry Division reached Frederick, Md. 
Crawford's Pennsylvania Reserves moved from Goose Creek, Ya., 
via Edwards Ferry, to the mouth of the Monocacy, Md. 

Combats : Skirmish near Fairfax Court House, Ya. 

June 28. — The First Corjjs marched from Middletown to Fred- 
erick ; the Second Corps from Burnes\dlle to Monocacy Junction ; 
the Third Corps* from Middletown to near Woodsborough ; the 

*Major-General D. E. Sickles resumed command of the Third Corps, re- 
lieving Major-General D. B. Birney, who had been temporarily in command. 



Pennsylvania af Gettysburg. 117 

Sixth Corps from near Poolesville to Hyattstown ; the Eleventh 
Corps from Middletovvu to near Frederick, and the Twelfth Corps 
from Knoxville to Frederick. Buford's Cavalry Division moved 
from near Jefferson to Middletown ; Greg-g's Cavalry Division 
reached Frederick and marched thence to New Market and Ridge- 
ville. Crawford's Pennsylvania Reserves marched from the mouth 
of the Monocacy and joined the Fifth Corps* at Balling-er's Creek. 
Stahel's Cavalry Division was assigned to the Cavalry Corps, as 
the Third Division, under Brigadier-General Judson Kilpatrick, 
with Brigadier-General Elon J. Farnsworth commanding the First 
Brigade and Brigadier-General George A. Custer commanding 
the Second Brigade. 

Combats : Skirmishes between Offutt's Cross-Roads and Seneca, 
and near Rockville, Md., and at Fountain Dale, Wrightsville, and 
near Oyster Point, Pa. 

June 29. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from 
Frederick to Middleburg ; the First and Eleventh Corps from 
Frederick to Emmitsburg; the Second Corps from Monocacy 
Junction via Liberty and Johnsville, to Uniontown ; the Third 
Corps from near Woodsborough to Taneytown; the Fifth Corps 
from Ballinger's Creek, via Frederick and Mount Pleasant, to 
Liberty ; the Sixth Corps from Hyattstown, via New Market and 
Ridgeville, to New Windsor ; the Twelfth Corps from Frederick 
to Taneytown and Bruceville; Gamble's (First) and Devin's 
(Second) Brigades, of Buford's (First) Cavalry Division, from 
Middletown, via Boonsborough, Cavetown and Monterey Springs, 
to near Fairfield ; Merritt's Reserve Cavalry Brigade, of the same 
division, from Middletown to Mechanicstown ; Gregg's (Second) 
Cavalry Division from New Market and Ridgeville to New Wind- 
sor; Kilpatrick's (Third) Cavalry Division from Frederick to 
Littlestown, and the Artillery Reserve from Frederick to Bruce- 
ville 

Combats: Skirmishes at Muddy Branch and Westminster, Md., 
and at McConnellsburg and near Oyster Point, Pa. 

June J^*.— Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from 
Middleburg to Taneytown; the First Corps from Emmitsburg to 
Marsh Run; the Third Corps from Taneytown to Bridgeport; 
the Fifth Corps from Liberty, via Johnsville, Union Bridge 
and Union, to Union Mills; the Sixth Corps from New Windsor 
to Manchester; the Twelfth Corps f rom Taneytown and Bruce- 

* Major-General George G. Meade relinquished command of the Fifth 
Corps to Major-General George Sykes, and assumed command of the Army 
of the Potomac, relieving Major-General Joseph Hooker. 



118 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

ville to Littlesto^ATi ; Gamble's and Devin's Brig-ades, of Buford's 
Cavalry Divisiou, from near Fairfield, via Emmitsburg-, to Gettys- 
burg ; Greg-g-'s Cavalry Division from New Windsor to Westmin- 
ster, and thence to Manchester; Kilpatrick's Cavalry DiAdsiou 
from Littlestown to Hanover, and the Artillery Reserve from 
Bruceville to TaneytoAATi; Kenly's and Morris' Brigades, of 
French's Division, left Maryland Heights for Frederick, and El- 
liott's and Smith's Brigades, of the same division, moved from 
the Heights, by way of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, for Wash- 
ington. 

Combats : Action at Hanover, Pa., and skirmishes at Westmin- 
ster, Md., and at Fairfield and Sporting Hill, near Harrisburg, 
Pa. 

July 1. — The First Corps moved from Marsh Run and the Elev- 
enth Corps from Emmitsburg to Gettysburg ; the Second Corps 
from Uniontown, via Taneytown, to near Gettysburg; the Third 
Corps from Bridgeport, via Emmitsburg, to the field of Gettys- 
burg ; the Fifth Corps from Union Mills, via Hanover and 
McSherrytown, to Bonaughtown; the Sixth Corps from Man- 
chester en route to Gettysburg, and the Twelfth Corps from Lit- 
tlestown, via Two Taverns, to the field of Gettysburg. Gregg's 
Cavalry Division marched from Manchester to Hanover Junction, 
whence Mcintosh's and J. I. Gregg's Brigades proceeded to Han- 
over, while Huey's Brigade returned to Manchester. Kilpatrick's 
Cavalry Division moved from Hanover, via Abbottsville, to Ber- 
lin, and the Artillery Reserve (Ransom's and Fitzhugh's Brigades) 
from Taneytown to near Gettysburg. Stannard's Vermont Bri- 
gade from the Defenses of Washington, joined the First Corps on 
the field of Gettysburg. W. F. Smith's (First) Di^dsion of the 
Department of the Susquehanna, marched from the vicinity of 
Harrisburg to Carlisle. Kenly's and Morris' Brigades of French's 
Division reached Frederick. 

Combats: Battle of Gettysburg (first day), and skirmish at 
Carlisle, Pa. 

July 2. — The Second, Fifth and Sixth Corps, Lockwood's Bri- 
gade, from the Middle Department, Mcintosh's and J. I. Gregg's 
Brigades, of D. McM. Gregg's Cavalry Division, Kilpatrick's 
Cavalry Division, and the Artillery Reserve reached the field of 
Gettysburg. Gamble's and Devin's Brigades, of Buford's Cav- 
alry Division, marched from Gettysburg to Taneytown, and Mer- 
ritt's Reserve Brigade from Mechanicstown to Emmitsburg. 

Combats : Battle of Gettysburg (second day), and skirmishes 
at Huuterstown and near Chambersburg, Pa. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 119 

Jidy 3-. — Gamble's aud Devin's Brig-ades, of Buford's Cavaliy 
Division, moved from Taneytowu to Westminster; Merritt's Re- 
serve Brig:ade from Emmitsburg- to the field of Gettysburg, and 
Huey's Brig-ade, of Gregg's Cavalry Division, from Manchester 
to Westminster. 

Combats : Battle of Gettysburg (third day), and action at Fair- 
field, Pa. 

July 4- — Gamble's and Devin's Brigades, of Buford's Cavalry 
Division, marched from Westminster, and Merritt's Reserve Bri- 
gade from Gettysburg-, en route to Frederick ; Huey's Bi-igade, of 
Gregg's Cavalry Division, from Westminster, via Emmitsburg, to 
Monterey ; J. I. Gregg's Cavalry Brigade from Gettysburg to 
Hunterstown, and Kilpatrick's Cavalry Division from Gettysburg, 
via Emmitsburg-, to Monterey. Smith's Division, of Couch's 
command, moved from Carlisle, via Mount Holly, to Pine Grove, 
and the remainder of Couch's troops from the vicinity of Harris- 
burg- toward Shippensburg- and Chambersburg. Elliott's and 
Smith's Brigades, of French's Division, arrived at Washington 
from Maryland Heights, and moved to Tennallytown. Morris' 
Brigade, of French's Division, marched from Frederick to Tur- 
ner's Gap, in South Mountain. 

Combats : Action at Monterey Gap, Pa., and skirmishes at Fair- 
field Gap, Pa., and near Emmitsburg, Md. 

July 5. — Leaving- Gettysburg, the Second Corps marched to 
Two Taverns ; the Fifth Corps to Marsh Run ; the Sixth Corps 
to Fairfield; the Eleventh Corps to Rock Creek; the Twelfth 
Corps to LittlestoAvn ; Mcintosh's Brigade, of Gregg's Cavalry 
Division to Emmitsburg, and the Artillery Reserve to Littles- 
town. Buford's Cavalry Division reached Frederick. J. I. Gregg-'s 
Cavalry Brigade moved from Hunterstown to Greenwood. Kil- 
patrick's Cavalry Division and Huey's Brigade, of Gregg-'s Cav- 
alry Division, marched from Monterey, ^aa Smithsburg, to Boons- 
borough. 

Combats: Skirmishes at or near Smithsbui-g, Md., and Green 
Oak, Mercersburg, Fairfield, Grecncastle, Cunningham's Cross 
Roads, and Stevens' Furnace (or Caledonia Iron Works), Pa. 

July 6. — The First Corps marched from Gettysburg to Emmits- 
burg-; the Fifth Corps from Marsh Run to Moritz's Cross Roads; 
the Sixth Corps from Fairfield to Emmitsburg, except Neill's 
(Third) Brigade, of Howe's (Second) Division, which, in conjunc- 
tion with Mcintosh's Brigade of Cavalry, was left at Fairfeld to 
pursue the enemy; the Eleventh Corps from Rock Creek to Em- 
mitsburg-; Buford's Cavalry Division from Frederick to Williams- 



120 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

port and tlieuee back to Jones' Cross Reads; Kilpatrick's Cavalry 
Division and Huey's Brig-ade, of Greg-g-'s Cavalry Division, from 
Boonsboroug"h, via Hag^erstown * and Williamsport, to Jones' Cross 
Roads; Mcintosh's Brig-ade, of Gregg's Cavalry Division, from 
Emmitsburg to Fairfield; and J. I. Greg-g-'s Brigade, of Gregg-'s 
Cavalry Di^dsion, from Greenwood to Marion; Smith's Division, 
of Couch's command, moved from Pine Grove to Newman's Pass; 
Kenly's Brigade, of French's Division, marched from Frederick 
en route to Maryland Heights; Elliott's and Smith's Brigades, of 
French's Division, left Tennallytown, via Washington and the Bal- 
timore and Ohio railroad, en route to Frederick. 

Comhats : Actions at Hagerstown and Williamsport, Md. 

July 7. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from Gettys- 
burg to Frederick; the First Corps from Emmitsburg to Ham- 
burg; the Second Corps from Two Taverns to Taney town; the 
Third Corps from Gettysburg, via Emmitsburg, to Mechanics- 
town; the Fifth Corps from Moritz's Cross Roads, \da Emmits- 
burg, to Utica; the Sixth Corps from Emmitsbm-g to Mountain 
Pass, near Hamburg; the Eleventh Corps from Emmitsburg to 
Middletowm ; the Twelfth Corps from Littlestown to Walkersvile ; 
and the Artillery Reserve from Littlestown to Woodsborough ; 
Buford's and Kilpatrick's Cavalry Divisions and Huey's Brigade, 
of Gregg's Cavalry Division, moved from Jones' Cross Roads to 
Boonsborough ; J. I. Gregg's Cavalry Brigade Avas moving en route 
from Chambersburg to Middletown ; Mcintosh's Brigade of Cav- 
alry and Neill's Brigade of the Sixth Corps, moved from Fair- 
field to Waynesborough ; Smith's Division, of Couch's command, 
marched from Newman's Pass to Altodale; Kenly's Brigade, of 
French's Division, with other troops forwarded by Schenck from 
Baltimore, reoccupied Maryland Heights; Elliott's and Smith's 
Brigades, of French's Division, reached Frederick from Washing- 
ton. 

Combats : Skirmishes at DoAvnsville and Funkstown, Md., and 
at Harper's Ferry, W. Va. 

July 8.- — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from Fred- 
erick to Middletown ; the First Corps from Haml)urg to Turner's 
Gap, in South Mountain; the Second Corps from Taney town to 
Frederick ; the Third Corps from Mechanicstown to a point three 
miles southwest of Frederick ; the Fifth Corj^s from Utica to Mid- 
dletown; the Sixth Corps from near Hamburg to Middletown; 
the Eleventh Corps from Middletown to Turner's Gap, in South 

♦Richmond's Brigade of Kilpatrick's Division, remained at Hagerstown, 
whence it retired toward Boonsborough. 



Pennsylvania at Oettysburg. 121 

Mountain, Schurz's (Third) Division being- advanced to Boons- 
boroug-h ; the Twelfth Corps from Walkersville to Jefferson ; and 
the Ai'tillery Reserve from Woodsboroug-h to Frederick; J. I. 
Gregg-'s Cavah'v Brigade was moving- ennndeirom. Chambersburg 
to Middletown; Smith's Division, of Couch's command, moved from 
Altodale to Waynesboroug-h ; Campbell's and Mulligan's Brigades, 
of Kelley's command. Department of West Virginia, were concen- 
trated at Hancock, whence they moved to Fairview, on North 
Mountain. 

Combats : Action at Boonsborough and skirmish near Williams- 
port, Md. 

July 9. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from Mid- 
dletown to Turner's Gap; the Second Corps from Frederick to 
Rohrersville ; the Third Corps from near Frederick to Fox's Gap, 
in South Mountain; the Fifth Corps from Middletown, via Fox's 
Gap, to near Boonsborough; the Sixth Corps from Middletown 
to Boonsborough; the Twelfth Corps from Jefferson to Rohrers- 
ville ; and the Artillery Reserve from Frederick to Boonsborough ; 
J. I. Gregg's Cavalry Brigade reached Middletown from Cham- 
bersburg; Elliott's and Smith's Brigades, of French's Divisiou, 
marched from Frederick to Middletown. 

Combats : Skirmish at Benevola (or Beaver Creek), Md. 

July 10. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from Turn- 
er's Gap to Beaver Creek, beyond Boonsborough; the First Corps 
from Turner's Gap to Beaver Creek, where it was joined by Ken- 
ly's Brigade, of French's Division, from Maryland Heights; the 
Second Corps from Rohrersville to near Tilghmanton ; the Third 
Corps from Fox's Gap, through Boonsborough, to Antietam Creek, 
in the vicinity of Jones' Cross Roads, where it was joined by El- 
liott's and Smith's Brigades, of French's Division, which marched 
from Middletown, and Morris' Brigade, of the same Division, which 
marched from Turner's Gap ; the Fifth Corps from near Boonsbor- 
ough to Delaware Mills, on Antietam Creek; the Sixth Corps from 
Boonsborough to Beaver Creek ; the Eleventh Corps from Turner's 
Gap to Beaver Creek ; and the Twelfth Corps from Rohrers-ville to 
Bakersville; Buford's and Kilpatrick's Cavalry Divisions moved 
from Boonsborough to Funkstown ; Huey's Brigade, of Gregg's 
Cavalry Division, from Boonsborough to Jones' Cross Roads, and 
Mcintosh's Cavalry Brigade from Waynesborough via Smiths- 
burg and Leitersburg, to Old Antietam Forge, and back to Waynes- 
borough. 

Combats : Skirmishes at or near Old Antietam Forge (near Lei- 
tersbm^g), Clear Spring, Hagerstown, Jones' Cross Roads (near 
Williamsport), and Funkstown, Md. 



122 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

July 11. — The Second Corps moved from near Tilg-limanton to 
the neighborhood of Jones' Cross Roads ; the Twelfth Corps from 
Bakersville to Fair Plaj^ and Jones' Cross Eoads; Gamble's and 
Devin's Brigades, of Buford's Cavalry Division, from Fimkstown 
to Bakersville; J. I. Gregg's Cavalry Brigade from Middletown 
to Boonsborougli ; Kilpatrick's Cavalry Division from Funkstown 
to near Hagerstown ; the Artillery Reserve from Boousborough 
to Benevola; Neill's Brigade, of the Sixth Corps, and Smith's 
Di%asion, of Couch's command, from Waynesborough to Leiters- 
burg. 

Combats : Skirmishes at or near Hagerstown, Jones' Cross 
Roads (near Williamsport) and Fimkstown, Md. 

July 1^. — The First, Sixth and Eleventh Corps moved from 
Beaver Creek to Funkstown ; Mcintosh's Cavalry Brigade from 
Waynesborough, via Leitersburg, to Boonsborough ; Kilpatrick's 
Cavalry Division and Ames' (First) Division, Eleventh Corps, oc- 
cupied Hagersto-wTi ; Neill's Brigade, of the Sixth Corps, moved 
from Leitersburg to Funkstown, where it rejoined its corps; 
Smith's Division (except one brigade, left at Waynesborough) 
from Leitersburg to Cavetown; Dana's (Second) Division, of 
Couch's command, from Chambersburg to Greencastle; and 
Averell's Cavalry Brigade, Department of West Virginia, from 
Cumberland en route to Fairview. 

Combats : Skirmishes at or near Hagerstown, Jones' Cross 
Roads (near Williamsport) and Funkstown, Md., and Ashby's 
Gap, Va. 

July 13. — The Sixth Corps moved from Funkstown to the 
vicinity of Hagerstown ; the Artillery Reserve from Benevola to 
Jones' Cross Roads, two brigades remaining at the latter place 
and the others returning to Benevola; Smith's Division, of 
Couch's command, from Waynesborough and Cavetown to Hag- 
erstown and Beaver Creek. Averell's Cavalry Brigade joined 
Kelley's infantry at Fairview. 

Combats : Skirmishes at Hagerstown, Jones' Cross Roads and 
Funkstown, Md. 

July lli.. — The First Corps marched from Funkstown to Wil- 
liamsport ; the Second Corps from near Jones' Cross Roads to 
near Falling Waters ; the Third Corps from Antietam Creek, 
near Jones' Cross Roads, across Marsh Creek ; the Fifth Corps 
from the vicinity of Roxbury Mills, on Antietam Creek, to near 
Williamsport; the Sixth Corps from the neighborhood of Hag- 
ersto\vn to Williamsport : the Eleventh Corps from Funkstown, 
via Hagerstown to Williamsport ; and Williams' (First) Di\asion 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 123 

of the Twelfth Corps from Jones' Cross Roads to near Falling- 
Waters, and thence to near Williamsport. Buford's Cavalry Di- 
vision moved from Bakersville to Falling- Waters; Mcintosh's 
and J. I. Greg-g-'s Brig-ados of D. McM. Greg-g-'s Cavalry Division 
from Boonsboroug-h to Harper "s Ferry ; Huey's Brig-ade of same 
division, from Jones' Cross Eoads, via Williamsport to Falling: 
Waters ; and Kilpatrick's Cavalry Division from Hag-erstown, via 
Williamsport to Falling- Waters. Kellcy "s command, Department 
of West Virg-inia, marched from Fairview to Williamsport. 

Combats : Action at Falling- Waters, Md., and skirmishes near 
Williamsport, Md., and Harper's Ferry, W. Va. 

July 15. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from 
Beaver Creek to Berlin ; the First Corps from Williamsport to 
Rohrersville ; the Second Corps from near Falling- Waters to near 
Sandy Hook ; the Third Corps from Marsh Creek to near Burn- 
side's Bridge, on the Antietam ; the Fifth Corps from near Wil- 
liamsport to Burkittsville ; the Sixth Corps from Williamsport to 
Boonsborough ; the Eleventh Corps from Williamsport, via Hag- 
erstown to Middletown ; and the Twehth Corps from Fair Play 
and near Williamsport to Sandy Hook. Two Brig-ades of the 
Artillery Reserve moved from Jones' Cross Roads, and joining 
the remainder of the reserve at Beuevola, the whole command 
marched thence, via Middletown to Berlin. Buford's Cavalry 
Division moved from Falling- AVaters to Berlin ; Mcintosh's and 
J. I. Greg-g-'s Brigades, of D. McM. Gregg's Cavalry Division, 
from Harpers Ferry, via Halltown to Shepherdstown ; Huey's 
Brigade of same division from Falling Waters to Boonsborough ; 
and Kilpatrick's Cavalry Division from Falling Waters, via Wil- 
liamsport and Hagerstown to Boonsborough. Kelley 's command, 
Department of West Virginia, marched from AVilliam sport to 
Indian Springs. 

Combats : Skirmishes at Halltown and Shepherdstown, W. Ya. 

July 16. — The First Corps marched from Rohrersville to near 
Berlin ; the Third Corps from Burnside's Bridge to Pleasant Val- 
ley, near Sandy Hook ; the Ffth Corps from Burkittsville, via 
Petersville to near Berlin ; the Sixth Corps from Boonsborough 
to near Berlin ; the Eleventh Corps from MiddletoAvii, via Jeffer- 
son to Berlin ; and the Twelfth Corps from Sandy Hook to Pleas- 
ant Valley. Buford's Cavalry Division moved from Berlin to 
Petersville; Huey's Brigade of Gregg's Cavalry Division, from 
Boonsborough, via Harper's Ferry to Shepherdstown ; and Kilpat- 
rick's Division from Boonsborough to Berlin, whence De Forest's 
(First) Brigade proceeded to Harper's Ferry. 



124 Pennsylvania at Getty shui^g. 

Combut.s : Action at Shepberdstown and skirmish at Shanghai, 
W. Va. 

Jidy 17 . — The Third Corps moved from near Sandy Hook, 
crossed the Potomac at Harper's Ferry and proceeded to a point 
three miles south of the Ferry ; the Fifth Corps moved from near 
Berhu to Lovettsville, crossing- the Potomac at Berlin. Gregg's 
Cavalry Division marched from Shepherdstown to Harper's Ferry, 
Kilpatrick's Cavalry Division from Berlin and Harper's Ferry to 
Pm'cellvalle ; Custer's Brigade crossing the Potomac at Berlin and 
De Forest's Brigade the Shenandoah at Harper's Ferry. Kelley's 
command, Department of West Virginia, moved from Indian 
Springs, Md., to Hedgesville, W. Va., crossing the Potomac at 
Cherry Bun. 

Comhais : Skirmishes near North Mountain Station, W. Va., 
and near Snicker's Gap, Va. 

July 18. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from Ber- 
lin, Md., to Lovettsville, Va. ; the First Corps from near Berlin 
to Waterford, crossing the Potomac at Berlin ; the Second Corps 
from near Sandy Hook to Hillsborough, crossing the Potomac 
and Shenandoah Bivers at Harper's Ferry ; the Third Corps from 
near Harper's Ferry to Hillsborough ; the Fifth Corps from Lov- 
ettsville to near Purcellville ; the Artillery Beserve from Berlin 
to Wheatland ; and Buford's Cavalry Di^dsion from Petersville to 
Purcellville, crossing the Potomac at Berlin. 

Combats : Skirmishes at and near Hedgesville and Martins- 
burg, W. Va. 

July 19. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from Lov- 
ettsville to Wheatland ; the First Corps from Waterford to Ham- 
ilton ; the Second and Third Corps from Hillsborough to Wood 
Grove ; the Fifth Corps from near Purcellville to a point on the 
road to Philomont ; the Sixth Corps from near Berlin to Wheat- 
land, and the Eleventh Corps from Berlin to near Hamilton, both 
corps crossing the Potomac at Berlin ; the Artillery Beserve from 
Wheatland to Purcellville ; and the Twelfth Corps fi-om Pleasant 
Valley to near Hillsborough, crossing the Potomac and Shenan- 
doah Bivers at Harper's Ferry. Buford's Cavalry Division moved 
from Purcellville, via Philomont, to near Rector's Cross Boads. 
Mcintosh's Brigade, of Gregg's Cavalry Division, moved from 
Harper's Ferry toward Hillsborough and Huey's and J. I. Gregg's 
Brigades of the same division, from Harper's Ferry to Lovettsville. 
Kilpatrick's Division of Cavalry marched from Purcellville to 
Upperville. Kelley's command. Department of West Virginia, 
fell back from Hedgesville to the Maryland side of the Potomac 
at Cherry Bun. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 125 

Combats : Skirmishes at and near Hedg-esville and Martinsburg, 
W. Va. 

July W. — Headquarters Ai-my of the Potomac moved from 
Wheatland to Union ; the First Corps from Hamilton to Middle- 
burgf; the Second and Third Corps from Wood Grove, the former 
g-oing- to Bloomfield and the latter to Upperville ; the Fifth Corps 
from a point on the Purcellville and Philomont road, via Union, 
to Panther Skin Creek ; the Sixth Corps from Wheatland to near 
Beaver Dam; the Eleventh Corps from near Hamilton, via Mt. 
Gilead, to Mountville ; the Twelfth Corps from near Hillsboroug-h, 
via Wood Grove, to Snickersville ; and the Artillery Reserve from 
Pm'cellville to Union ; Buford's Cavalry Division moved from near 
Rector's Cross Roads to Rectortowu, Gamble's Brig-ade going- 
thence to Chester Gap, Devin's Brigade to Salem and Merritt's 
Brigade to Manassas Gap ; Mcintosh's Brigade, of Gregg's Cav- 
alry Division, reached Hillsborough and marched thence toward 
Purcellville; Huey's and J. I. Gregg's brigades, of same Division, 
moved from Lovettsville to Goose Creek. 

Combats: Skirmishes near Berry's Ferry and at Ashby's Gap, 
Virginia. 

July 21. — Huey's and J. I. Gregg's Brigades, of D. McM. Gregg's 
Cavalry Division, moved from Goose Creek to Bull Run ; Mcin- 
tosh's Brigade returned to Hillsboroug-h ; Kelley's command, De- 
partment of West Virginia, recrossed the Potomac from Mary- 
land into Virginia at Cherry Run. 

Combats : Skirmishes at Manassas and Chester Gaps, Va. 

July '22. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from Union 
to Upperville ; the First Corj^s from Middleburg to White Plains ; 
the Second Corps from Bloomfield to Paris ; the Third Corps from 
Upperville, via Piedmont, to Linden ; the Fifth Corps from Panther 
Skin Creek to Rectortown ; and the Sixth Corps from near Beaver 
Dam to Rectortown ; Devin's Brigade, of Buford's Cavalry Divi- 
sion, moved from Salem to Barbee's Cross Roads ; Huey's and J. 
I. Gregg-'s Brigades, of D. McM. Gregg's Cavalry Division, from 
Bull Run to Broad Run ; and Kilpatrick's Cavalry Division from 
Upperville to Piedmont. 

Combats: Shirmishes at Manassas and Chester Gaps, Va. 

July 23. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from Up- 
perville to Linden ; the First Corps from White Plains to Warren, 
ton; the Second Corps from Paris to Linden; the Third Corps 
from Linden to Manassas Gap ; the Fifth Corps from Rectortown, 
via Markham Station, Farrowsville and Linden, to Manassas Gap ; 
the Sixth Corps from Rectortown to White Plains and Barbee's 



126 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

Cross Koads ; the Eleventh Crops from Mountville to New Balti- 
more; the Twelfth Corps from Snickersville to Ashby's Gap and 
thence to Markham Station; and the Artillery Reserve from Union 
to near Eoek Creek; Buford's Cavahy Division concentrated at 
Barbee's Cross Roads ; Mcintosh's Brigade, of Greg-g-'s Cavalry 
Division, moved from Hillsborough to Snickersville; and Kil- 
patrick's Cavalry Division from Piedmont to Amissville. 

Combats : Action at Wapping Heights, Manassas Gap, and skir- 
mishes near Gaines' Cross Roads, Snicker's Gap and Chester Gap, 
Virginia. 

July ^Jf,. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from Lin- 
den to Salem ; the Second Corps from Linden to Markham Station ; 
the First Division (Wright's), Sixth Corps, from White Plains to 
New Baltimore ; the Second Division (Howe's), Sixth Corps, from 
Barbee's Cross Roads to Markham Station and thence to Orleans ; 
the Third Division (Bartlett's), Sixth Corps, from Barbee's Cross 
Roads to Thumb Run; and the Twelfth Corps from Markham 
Station to Linden, countermarching, via Markham Station to Pied- 
mont; Huey's and J. L Gregg's Brigades, of D. McM. Gregg's 
Cavalry Division, moved from Broad Run to Warrenton Junction ; 
Kelley's command. Department of West Virginia, advanced from 
Cherry Run to Hedgesville. 

Combats: Skirmish at Battle Mountain, near Newby's Cross 
Roads, Va. 

July 25. — Headquarters Army of the Potomac moved from Salem 
to Warrenton; the First Corps from Warrenton to Warrenton 
Junction, the Second Division (Robinson's) going on to Bealeton ; 
the Second Corps from Markham Station to White Plains; the 
Third Corps from Manassas Gap to near Salem ; the Fifth Corps 
from Manassas Gap, via ^arrows^dlle and Barbee's Cross Roads to 
Thumb Run ; the Sixth Corps concentrated at Warrenton, Wright's 
(First) Division, moving from New Baltimore, Howe's (Second) 
Division from Orleans, and Bartlett's (Third) Division from Thumb 
Run ; the Eleventh Corps moved from New Baltimore to Warrenton 
Junction ; and the Twelfth Corps from Piedmont, via Rectortown 
and Will to Plains, to Thoroughfare Gap; the Artillery Reserve 
readied Warrenton ; Kelley's command. Department of West Vir- 
ginia, occupied Martinsburg. 

ComJmts : Skirmish at Barbee's Cross Roads, Va. 

July 20. — The Second Corps marched from White Plains to near 
Germantowu ; the Third Corps from near Salem to vicinity of War- 
renton; the Fifth Corps from Thumb Run to vicinity of Warren- 
ton, Crawford's (Third) Division taking position at Fayetteville; 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 127 

and the Twelfth Corps from Thoroug'hfare Gap, via GreenAvich 
and Catlett's Station, to AVarrenton Junction; Buford's Cavahy 
Division took position at Warrenton and Fayetteville ; Mcintosh's 
Brig-ade, of Gregg's Cavahy Division, marched from Bnickersville, 
via Upperville, to Middloburg- ; Kelley's command, Department 
of West Virg-inia, occupied Winchester. 

July 27. — The Fifth Corps encamped between Warrenton and 
Fayetteville; Mcintosh's Brigade, of Gregg's Cavalry Division, 
marched from Middleburg, via White Plains, New Baltimore, and 
Warrenton, toward Warrenton Junction. 

July '28. — Mcintosh's Brigade, of Gregg-'s Cavalry Division, 
moved via Warrenton Junction, to Catlett's Station. 

July 29. — D. McM. Gregg's Cavalry's Division moved from War- 
renton Junction and Catlett's Station to Warrenton. 

July SO. — Kenly's (Third) Division, First Corps, moved from 
Warrenton Junction to Rappahannock Station ; the Second Corps 
from near Germantown to Elk Run; D. McM. Gregg's Cavalry 
Division from Warrenton to Amissville ; and Kilpatrick's Cavalry 
Division from Amissville to Warrenton. 

July 31. — The Second Corps marched from Elk Run to Morris- 
ville ; Howe's (Second) Division, Sixth Corps, from Warrenton to 
near Waterloo ; the Twelfth Corps from Warrenton Junction to 
Kelly's Ford; and Kilpatrick's Cavalry Division from Warren- 
ton to Warrenton Junction. 



128 



Pennsylvaiiia ai Gettysburg. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, COM- 
MANDED BV MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE G. MEADE, U. S. ARMY, 
AT THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, 
JULY 1-3, 1863. 



GENERAL HEADQUARTERS. 

COMMAND OF THE PROVOST-MABSHAL-GENERAL. 

Brig. Gen. Marsena R. Patrick. 
9Hd New York,* Col. John S. Crocker. 

8th United States (eight companies),* Capt. Edwin W. H. Read. 

2d Pennsylvania Cavalry, Col. R. Butler Price. 

6th Pennslvania Cavalry, Companies E and I, Capt. James Starr. 
Regular cavahy (detachments from 1st, 2d, 5th and 6th Regiments). 

.SIGNAL CORPS. 

Capt. Lemuel, B. Norton. 

GUARDS and orderlies. 

Oneida (Ne-w York) Cavalry, Capt. Daniel P. Mann. 

ARTILLERY.! 
Brig. Gen. Henry J. Hunt. 

ENGINEER BRIGADE.f 
Brig. Gen. Henry W. Benham. 
15th New York (three companies), Maj. Walter L. Cassin. 
50th New York, Col. William H. Pettes. 
United States Battalion, Capt. George H. Mendell. 

FIRST ARMY CORPS.§ 
Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday. 
Maj Gen. John Newton. 

GENERAL HEADQUARTERS. 

1st Maine Cavalry, Company L, Capt. Constantine Taylor. 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. James S. Wadswobth. 

First Brigade. Second Brigade. 



Brig. Gen. Solomon Meredith. 
Col. William W. Robinson. 

19th Indiana, Col. Sam'l. J. Williams. 
24th Micliigan : 

Col. Henry A. Morrow. 

Capt. All)ert M. Edwards. 
2d Wisconsin : 

Col. Lucius Fairchild. 

Maj. .John Mansfield. 

Capt. George H. Otis. 
6th Wis(;onsin, Lieut. Col. Rufus R. 

Dawes. 
7th Wisconsin : 

Col. William W. Robinson. 

Maj. Mark Finnicum. 



Brig. Gen. Lysander Cutler. 

7tli Indiana, Col. Ira G. Grover. 
76th New York : 

Maj. Andrew J. Grover. 

Capt. .John E. Cook. 
84th New York (14th Militia), Col. 

Edward B. Fow'ler. 
95th New York : 

Col. George H. Biddle. 

Maj. Edward Pye. 
147th New York : 

Lieut. Col. Francis C. Miller. 

Maj . George Harney. 
56th Pennsylvania (nine compa- 
nies), Col. J. Wm. Hofmann, 



•Noten«aKed. 

tSee artillery brlBiulea attached to array corps and the reserve. 

; Not enKuKt'd. With exception (if the regular l):itt»llon. It was, July 1, and while at Beaver 
Dam Creek, Mil., ordi-ri'il tu Wn.shlimton, I). C. , where It arrived July o. 

5 Maj. Gen. .lolin K. Kcyridlcls, ot this corps, was killed .luly 1, while In command of the left 
wing of the army ; (icneral Doubleday commanded the corps July 1, and General Newton, 
who was assigned to that command on the 1st, superceded him July 2. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysbur'g. 



129 



.SECOND DIVISION 

Brig. Geu. John C Robinson. 



First Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Gabriel R. Paui* 
Col. Samuel, H. Leonakd. 
Col. Adrian R. Root. 
Col. Richard Coulter. 
Col. Peter Lyle. 
Col. Richard Coulter. 

16th Maine : 

Col. Charles W. Tilden. 
Maj. Archibald D. Leavitt. 
13th Massachusetts : 

Col. Samuel H. Leonard. 
Lieut. Col. iS. Walter Batch- 
elder. 
94th New York : 

Ool. Adrian R. Root. 
Maj. Samuel A. Moffett. 
104th New York, Col. Gilbert G. Prey. 
107th Pennsylvania : 

Lieut. Col. James MacThom- 

son. 
Capt. Emanuel D. Roath. 



Second Brir/ade. 
Brig. Gen. Henry Baxter. 

12th Massachusetts : 

Col. James L. Bates. 

Lieut. Col. David Allen, Jr. 
83d New Yopk (9th Militia), Lieut. 

Col. Joseph A. Moesch. 
97th New York : 

Col. Charles Wheelock. 

Maj. Charles Northrup. 
11th Pennsylvania:* 

Col. Richard Coulter. 

Capt. Benjamin F. Haines. 

Capt. John B. Overmyer. 
88th Pennsylvania : 

Maj. Benezet F. Foust. 

Capt. Henrj"- Whiteside. 
90th Pennsylvania : 

CoL Peter Lyle. 

Maj. Alfred J. Sellers. 

Col. Peter Lyle. 



third division. 

Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Rowley. 
Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday. 



First Brigade. 

Col. Chapman Biddle. 

Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Rowley. 

Col. Chapman Biddle. 

80th Mew York (20th Militia), Col. 

Theodore B. Gates. 
121st Pennsylvania : 

Maj. Alexander Biddle. 

Col. Chapman Biddle. 

Maj. Alexander Biddle. 
142d Pennsylvania : 

Col. Robert P. Cummins. 

Lieut. Col. Alfred B. McCal- 
mont. 
151st Pennsylvania : 

Lieut. Col. George F. Mc Far- 
land. 

Capt. Walter L. Owens. 

Col. Harrison Allen. 



Second Brigade. 

Col. Roy Stone. 

Col. Langhorne Wister. 

Col. Edmund L. Dana. 

143d Pennsylvania : 

Col. Edmund L. Dana. 

Lieut. Col. John D. Musser. 
149th Pennsylvania : 

Lieut. Col. Walton Dwight. 

Capt. James Glenn. 
150th Pennsylvania : 

Col. Langhorne Wister. 

Lieut. Col. Henry S. Huide- 
koper. 

Capt, Cornelius C. Widdis. 



Third Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. George J Stannard. 
Col. Francis V. Randall. 

12th Vermont,! *^ol. Asa P. Blunt. 
13th Vermont : 

Col. Francis Y. Randall. 

Maj. Josejjh J. Boj'iiton. 

Lieut. Col. William D. Munson. 
14th Vermont, Col. William T. Nichols. 
15th Vermontjf Col. Redfield Proctor. 
16th Vermont, Col. Wheelock G. Veazey. 



*Transferred in afternoon of July 1 to First Brigade. 
tGuarding trains and not engaged in the battle. 



130 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



ARTILLERY BRIGADE. 



Ool. Charles S. Wainwrioht. 



Maine Light, 2d Battery (B), Capt. James A. Hall. 
Maine Light, 5th Battery (E): 

Capt. Greenleaf T. Stevens. 

Lieut. Edward N. Whittier. 
1st New York Light, Battery L :* 

Capt. Gilbert H. Reynolds. 

Lieut. George Breck. 
1st Pennsylvania Light, Battery B, Capt. James H. Cooper. 
4th United States, Battery B, Lieut. James Stewart. 

SECOND ARMY CORPS. \ 

Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock. 
Brig. Gen. John Gibbon. 

general headquarters. 
6th New York Cavalry, Companies D and K, Capt. Riley Johnson. 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. John C. Caldwell. 



First Brigade. 

Col. Edward E. Cross. 
Col. H. BoYD McKeen. 



5th 



Col. 



New Hampshire, Lieut. 
Charles E. Hapgood. 
61st New York, Lieut. Col. K. Oscar 

Broady. 
81st Pennsylvania : 

Col. H. Boyd McKeen. 
Lieut. Col. Amos Stroh. 
148th Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. Rob't 
McFarlane. 

Second Brigade. 

Col. Patrick Kelly. 

28th Massachusetts, Col. Richard 

Byrnes. 
63d New York (two companies): 

Lieut. Col. Rich'dC. Bentley. 

Capt. Thomas Touhy. 
69th New York (two companies): 

Capt. Richard Moroney. 

Lieut. James J. Smith. 
88th New York (two companies), 

Capt. Denis F. Burke. 
116th Pennsylvania (four companies), 

Maj. St. Clair A. Mulholland. 



Third Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Samuel K. Zook. 
Lieut. Col. John Eraser. 

52d New York : 

Lieut. Col. C. G. Freudenberg. 

Capt. William Scherrer. 
57th New York, Lieut. Col. .^l.ford 

B. Chapman. 
66th New York : 

Col. Orlando H. Morris. 

Lieut. Col. John S. Hammell. 

Maj. Peter Nelson. 
140th Pennsylvania : 

Col. Richard P. Roberts. 

Lieut. Col. John Fraser. 

Foihrth Brigade. 
Col. John R. Brooke. 

27th Connecticut (two companies): 

Lieut. Col. Henry C. Merwln. 

Maj. James H. Coburn. 
2d Delaware : 

Col. William P. Baily. 

Capt. Charles H. Christman. 
f>4th New York : 

Col. Daniel G. Bingham. 

Maj. Ijcman W. Bradle3^ 
53d Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. Rich- 
ards McMichael. 
145th Penns^dvania (seven com- 

pauies) : 

Col. Hiram L. Brown. 

Capt. John W. Reynolds. 

Capt. Moses W. Oliver. 



•Battery E. 1st New York Litiht Artillery, nttaclu'tl. 

t After the ilealh of (ieneral Keyni)l<ls, (ieneriil Hancock was assigned to the corniuand of all 
the troops (111 tlie tl(!lfl of liultlc. relievliiK (ienenii ll(jwiird. who had succeeded General Rey- 
nolds. (JencrnlGililiipii of tlic Second Division. a.ssuni("(l command oftluM-orpw. Tliese assifrn- 
ments terminated on tliccvi'iiirii.' of. Inly 1. Si in ilarcli:in>.'cs in ronnnandcis occurred during the 
battle of the 2d, wlicn (;cncral ilancock was put in command of tlu' 'I' hi id Corps, in addition to 
tbatof hisown. He was wounded on the ad, and Brig. Gen. William Hays was assigned to the 
command of the corps 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



131 



SECOND DIVISION. 



Brig. Gen. John Gibbon. 
Brig. Gen. William Harrow. 



First Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. William Harrow. 
Col. Francis E. Heath. 
19th Maine : 

Col. Francis E. Heath. 
Lieut. Col. Henry W. Cun- 
ningham. 
15th Massachusetts : 

Col. George H. Ward. 
Lieut. Col. George C. Joslin. 
1st Minnesota:* 

Col. William Golvill, jr. 
Capt. Nathan S. ]Messick. 
Capt. Henry C. Coates. 
82d New York (2d Militia): 

Lieut. Col. James Huston. 
Capt. John Darx-ow. 

Second Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Alexander .S. Webb. 

69th Pennsylvania : 

Col. Dennis O'Kane. 
Capt. William Davis. 
71st Pennsylvania, Col. Richard 

Penn Smith. 
72d Pennsylvania: 

Col. De Witt C. Baxter. 
Lieut. Col. Theodore Hesser. 
106th Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. Wm. 
L. Curry. 



Third Brigade. 
Col. Norman J. Hall. 

19th Massachusetts, Col. Arthur F. 

Devereux. 
20th Massacihusetts: 

Col. Paul J. Revere. 

Lieut. Col. George N. Macy. 

Capt. Henry L. Abbott. 
7th Michigan : 

Lieut Col. Amos K. Steele, jr. 

Maj. Sylvanus W. Curtis. 
42d New York, Col. Jas. PL Mallon. 
59th New York (four companies); 

Lieut. Col. Max A. Thoman. 

Capt. William McFadden. 



Unattached. 



Massachusetts Sharpshooters, 
company : 
Capt. William Plumer. 
Lieut. Emerson L. BicknelL 



1st 



THIRD DIVISION. 



Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays. 



First Brigade. 
Col. Samuel S. Carroll. 

14th Indiana, Col. John Coons. 

4th Ohio, Lieut. Col. Leonard W. 
Carpenter. 

8th Ohio, Lieut, (^ol. Franklin Saw- 
yer. 

7th West Virginia, Lieut. Col. Jona- 
than H. Lockwood. 



Second Brigade. 

Col. Thomas A. Smyth. 

Lieut. Col. Francis E. Pierce, 

14th Connecticut, Maj. Theodore G. 

Ellis. 
1st Delaware : 

Lieut. Col. Edward P. Harris. 

Capt. Thomas B. Hizar. 

Lieut. William Smitli. 

Lieut. John T, Dent. 
12th New Jersey, Maj. JohnT. Hill. 
10th New York (battalion) Maj. 

George F. Hopper. 
108th New York, Lieut. Col. Francis 

E. Pierce. 



' 2d Company Minnesota Sharpshooters attached. 



132 



Pennsylvania at Gettyshurg. 



Tliird BrigaiU'. 

Col. George L. Wxllakd. 
Col. Eliakim Sherrill. 
Lieut. Col. James M. Bull. 

39th New York (four companies), Maj. Hugo Hildebrandt. 
111th New York : 

Col. Clinton D. MacDougall. 

Lieut. Col. Isaac M. Lusk. 

Capt. Aaron P. Seeley. 
125th New York : 

Lieut. Col. Levin Crandell. 
]26th New York : 

Col. Eliakim Sherrill. 

Lieut. Col. James M. Bull. 

AKTIIiLERY BRIGADE. 

Capt. John G. Hazard. 

Ist New York Light, Battery B:- 

Lieut. Albert S. Sheldon. 

Captain James McKay Rorty. 

Lieut. Robert E. Rogers. 
Ist Rhode Island Light, Battery A, Capt William A. Arnold. 
1st Rhode Island Light, Battery B : 

Lieut. T. Fred. Brown.' 

Lieut. Walter S. Perrin. 
Ist United States, Battery I : 

Lieut. George A. Woodruff". 

Lieut. Tully McCrea. 
4th United States, Battery A : 

Lieut. Alonzo H. Gushing. 

Sergt. Frederick Fuger. 

THIRD ARMY CORPS. , 

Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles. 
Maj. Gen. David B. Birney. 

FIRST division. 

Maj. Gen. David B. Bcrnev. 
Brig. Gen. J. H. Hobart Ward. 
First Briqade. Second Brigade. 



Brig. Gen. Charles K. Graham. 
Col. Andrew H. Tippin. 

57th Pennsylvania (eight com- 
panies) : 
Col. Peter Sides. 
Capt. Alanson II. Nelson. 
63d Pennsylvania, Maj. John A. 

Danks. 
eStil Pennsylvania: 

Col. Andrew H. Tippen. 
Capt. Milton S. Davis [?]. 
105th Pennsylvania, Col. Calvin A. 

Craig. 
114th Pennsj'lvania : 

Lieut. Col. Frederick F. Ca- 

vada. 
Capt. Edward R. Bowen. 
141st Pennsvlvania, Col. Henry J. 
Madill. 



Brig. Gen. J. H. Hobart Ward. 
Col. Hiram Berdan. 

20th Indiana : 

Col. John Wheeler. 
Lieut. Col. William C. L. 
Taylor. 
3d Maine, Col. Moses B. Lakeman. 
4th Maine : 

Col. Elijah Walker. 
Capt. Edwin Libby. 
86th New York, Lieut. Col. Benja- 
min L. Higgins. 
124th New York : 

Col. A. Van Home Ellis. 
Lieut. Col. Francis M. Cum- 
mins. 
99th Pennsylvania, Major John W. 
Moore. 
1st United States Sharpshooters : 
Col. Hiram Berdan. 
Lieut. Col. Casper Trepp. 
2d United States Sharpshooters 
(eight companies), Maj. Ho- 
mer R. Stoughton. 



•Triinsferred from Arlllleiy Keserve. July 1; 14th New Vork Battery attached. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



133 



Third Bri(/adc. 

Col. P. Recus de Trohriand. 

17th Maine, Lieut. Col. Charles B. Merrill. 
3d Michigan : 

Col. Byron R. Pierce. 
Lieut. Col. Edwin 8. Pierce. 
5th Michigan, Lieut. Col. John Pulford. 
40th New York, Col. Thomas \V. Egan. 
110th Pennsylvania (six companies) : 
Lieut. Col. David M. Jones. 
Maj. Isaac Rogers. 



SECOND DIVISION. 



Brig. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys. 



First Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Carr. 

1st Massachusetts, Lieut. Col. Clark 

B. Baldwin. 
11th Massachusetts, Lieut. Col. Porter 

D. Tripp. 
16th Massachusetts : 

Lieut. Col. Waldo Merriam. 
Capt. Matthew Donovan. 
12th New Hampshire, Capt. John F. 

Langley. 
11th New Jersey : 

Col. Robert McAllister. 
Capt. Luther Martin. 
Lieut. John Schoonover. 
Capt. William H. Lloyd. 
Capt. Samuel T. Sleeper. 
Lieut. John Schoonover. 
26th Pennsylvania, Maj. Robert L. 

Bod in e. 
84th Pennsylvania,* Lieut. Col. Mil- 
ton 0pp. 



Second Brigade. 

Col. William R. Brev^^ster. 

70th New York, Col. J. Egbert 

Farnum. 
71st New York, Col. Henry L. 

Potter. 
72d New York : 

Col. John S. Austin. 
Lieut. Col. John Leonard. 
78d New York, Maj. Michael W. 

Burns. 
74th New York, Lieut. Col. Thomas 

Holt. 
120th New York : 

Lieut. Col. Cornelius D. West- 
brook. 
Major John R. Tappen. 



Third Brigadf. 
Col. George C. Burling. 



2d New Hampshire, Col. Edward L. Bailey. 
5th New Jersey : 

Col. William J. Sewell. 

Capt. Thomas C. Godfrey. 

Capt. Henry H. Woolsey. 
6th New Jersey, Lieut. Col. Stephen R. Gilkyson. 
7th New Jersey : 

Col. Louis R. Francine. 

Maj. Frederick Cooper. 
8th New Jersey : 

Col. John Ramsey. 

Capt. .John G. Langston. 
115th Pennsylvania, Maj. John P. Dunne. 



* Guarding corps trains, and not engaged In the battle. 



134 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



ARTILLERY BRIGADE. 

Capt. George E. Randolph. 
Capt. A. JuDsoN Clakk. 
New Jersey Liglit, 2d Battery : 

Capt A. Judson Clark. 

Lieut. Robert Sims. 
1st New York Light, Battery D, Capt. George B. Winslow. 
New York Light, 4th Battery, Capt. James E. Smith. 
1st Rhode Island Light, Battery E : 

Lieut. John K. Buuklyn. 

Lieutenant Beniauiin Freeborn. 
4th United States, Battery K : 

Lieut. Francis W. Seeley. 

Lieut. Robert J ames. 



FIFTH ARMY CORPS. 
Maj. Gen. George Sykes. 

general HEADQUARTERS. 

12th New York Infantry, Companies D and E, Capt. Henry W. Rider. 
17th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Companies D and H, Capt. William Thompson. 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. James Barnes. 
First Brioade. 



Col. William S. Tilton. 



/Second Brigade. 
Col. Jacob B. Sweitzer. 



9th Massachusetts, Col. Patrick R. 
Guiney. 
32d Massachusetts, Col. G. L. Pres- 
cott. 
4th Michigan : 

Col. Harrison H. Jeffords. 
Lieut. Col. Geo. W. Lumbard. 
62d Pennsvlvania, Lieut. Col. James 
C. Hull. 



18th Massachusetts, Col. Jos. Hayes. 
22d Massachusetts, Lieut. Col.Thos. 
Sherwin, Jr. 
1st Michigan : 

Col. Ira C. Abbott. 
Lieut. Col. William A. 
Throop. 
118th Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. Jas. 
Gwyn. 

Third Brigade. 

Col. Strong Vincent. 
Col. James C. Rice. 
20th Maine, Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain. 
16th Michigan, Lieut. Col. Norval E. Welch. 
44th New York : 

Col. James C. Rice. 
Lieut. Col. Kreeman Conner. 
83d Pennsylvania, Capt. Orpheus S. Woodward. 



SECOND division. 

Brig. Gen. Rombyn B. Ayres. 
Fir/it Brigade. 

Col. Hannibal Day. 



3d United States (six companies): 

Capt. Henry W. Freedley. 

Capt. Richard G. Lay. 
4th United States (four companies), 

Captain Julius W. Adams. Jr. 
6th United Stsites (live companies), 

Capt. Levi C. Bootes. 
12th United States (eightcompanies), 

Capt. Thomas S. Dunn. 
14th United States (eightcompanies), 

Maj. Grotius R. Giddings. 



Second Brigade. 
Col. Sidney Burbank. 



2d United States (six companies): 
Maj. Arthur T. Lee. 
Capt. Samuel A. McKee. 
7th United States (four companies), 

Capt. David P. Hancock. 
lOtli United States (threecompauies), 

Captain William Clinton. 
11th United States (six companies), 

Maj. DeLancey Floyd-Jones. 
17th United States(seven companies), 
Lieut. Col. J. Durell Greene. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



135 



Third Brir/adr. 

Brig. Geu. Stephen H. Weed. 
Col. Kenner Garrakd. 
140th New York : 

Col. Patrick H. O'Rorke. 
Lieut. Col. Louis Ernst. 
146th New York : 

Col. Kenuor (xarrard. 
Lieut. Col. David T. .Tenkins. 
91st Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. Joseph H. Sinex. 
155th Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. John H. Cain. 

THIRD DIVISION.* 

Brig. Gen. Samuel. W. Crawford. 



First Brignde. 
Col. WiiiiiiAM McCandless. 

1st Pennsylvania Reserves (nine 

companies), Col. William C. 

Talley. 
2d Pennsylvania Reserves, Lieut. 

Col. George A. Woodward. 
6th Pennsylvania Reserves, Lieut. 

Col. Wellington H. Ent. 
13th Pennsylvania Reserves: 

Col. Charles F. Taylor. 

Maj. William R. Hartshorne. 



Third Brigade. 
Col. Joseph W. Fisher. 

5th Pennsylvania Reserves, I^ieut. 

Col. "George Dare. 
9th Pennsylvania Reserves, Lieut. 

Col. James McK. Snodgrass. 
10th Pennsj-lvania Reserves, Col. 

Adoniram J. Warner. 
11th Pennsj-lvania Reserves, Col. 

Samuel M. Jackson. 
12th Pennsylvania Reserves (nine 

companies), Col. Martin D. 

Hardin. 



artillery brigade. 

Capt. Augustus P. Martin. 

Massachusetts Light, 3d Battery (C), Lieut. Aaron F. Walcott 
1st New Y^ork Light, Battery C, Capt. Almont Barnes. 
1st Ohio Light, Battery L, Captain Frank C. Gibbs. 
5th United States, Battery D : • 

Lieut. Charles E. Hazlett. 

Lieut. Benj. F. Rittenliouse. 
5th United States, Battery! : 

Lieut. Mai bone F. Watson. 

Lieut. Charles C. MacConnell. 

SIXTH ARMY CORPS. 
Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick. 

GENERAL HEADQUARTERS. 

1st New Jersey Cavalry, Company L | ^ ^ William S. Craft. 
1st Pennsylvania Cavalry, Companj^ H, S 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. Horatio G. Wright. 

Provost Guard. 

4th New Jersey (three companies), Capt. William. R. Maxwell. 

First Brigade. i Second Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Joseph J. BARTLETT.f 

5th Maine, Col. Clark S. Edwards. 
121st New York, Col. Emory Upton. 
95th Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. Ed- 
ward Carroll. 
96th Pennsylvania, Maj. William H. 
Lessig. 



Brig. Gen. A. T. .\. Torbert. 

Ist New Jersey, Lieut. Col. William 

Henry, Jr. 
2d New Jersey, Lieut. Col. Charles 

Wiebecke. 
3d New Jersej', Lieut. Col. Edward 

L. Campbell. 
15th New Jersej', Col. William H. 

Penrose. 



•Joined corps June 2S The Second Brigade left In the Department of Washington, 
t Also in command of the Third Brigade, Third Division, on July 3. 



136 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



Third Brigade. 
Brig. Gen. David A. Russell. 
6th Maine, Col. Hiram Burnham. 

49th Pennsylvania (four companies), Lieut. Col. Thomas M. Hulings. 
119th Pennsylvania, Col. Peter C. Kllmaker. 
5th Wisconsin, Col. Thomas S. Allen. 

SECOND DIVISION.* 

Brig. Gen. Albion P. Howe. 
Second Brigade. Third Brigade. 



Col. Lewis A. Grant. 

2d Vermont, Col. James H. Wal- 

bridge. 
3d Vermont, Col. Thomas O. Seaver. 
4th Vermont, Col. Charles B. Stough- 

ton. 
5th Vermont, Lieut. Col. .John R. 

Lewis. 
6th Vermont, Col. Elisha L. Barney. 



Brig. Gen. Thomas H. Neill. 

7th Maine (six companies), Lieut, 
Col. Selden Connor. 

33d New York (detachment), Capt. 
Henry J. Giflford. 

43d New York, Lieut. Col. John 
Wilson. 

49th New York, Col. Daniel D. Bid- 
well. 

77th New York, Lieut. Col. Winsor 
B. French. 

61st Pennsylvania, Lieut. CoL Geo. 
F. Smith. 



THIRD DIVISION. 



First Brigade. 
Brig. Gen. Alexander Shaler. 

65th New York, Col. Joseph E. 

Hamblin. 
67th New York, CoL Nelson Cross. 
122d New York, Col. Silas Titus. 
23d Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. John 

F. Glenn. 
82d Pennsylvania, Col. Isaac C. 

Bassett. 



Maj. Gen. John Newton. 
Brig. Gen. Frank Wheaton. 

Second Brigade. 



Col. Henry L. Eustis. 



Col. 



7th Massachusetts, Lieut. 

Franklin P. Harlow. 
10th Massachusetts, Lieut Col. Jos. 

B. Parsons. 
37th Massachusetts, Col. Oliver Ed- 
wards. 
2d Rhode Island, Col. Horatio 
Rogers, Jr. 



Third Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Frank Wheaton. 
Col. David J. Nevin. 
62d New York : 

Col. David J. Nevin. 
Lieut. Col. Theodore B. Hamilton. 
93d Pennsylvania, Maj. John I. Nevin. 
98th Pennsylvania, Maj. John B. Kohler. 
102d Pennsylvania, f Col. John W. Patterson. 
139th Pennsylvania: 

. Col. Frederick H. Collier. 
Lieut. Col. William H. Moody. 

artillery brigade. 
Col. Charles H. Tompkins. 
Massachusetts Light, 1st Battery (.\), Capt William H. McCartney. 
New York Light, 1st Battery, Capt. Andrew Cowan. 
New York Light, 3d Battery, Capt. William A. Harn. 
Ist Rhode Island Light, Battery C, Capt. RicJiard Waterman 
1st Rhode Island Light, Battery G, Capt. George W. Adams. 
2d United States, Battery D, Lieut. Edward B. Williston. 
2d United States, Battery G, Lieut John H. Butler. 
5th United States, Battery F, Lieut Leonard Martin. 



•No First BriKude In division. 

tOuardlDg wugon train at Westminster, and ni)t enKaRed In the battle. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



137 



ELEVENTH ARMY CORPS.* 
Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard. 

OENEBAL. HEADQUARTERS. 

1st Indiana Cavalry, Companies I and K, Capt. Abram Sliarra. 
8th New York Infantry (one company), Lieut. Hermann Foerster 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. Francis C. Barlow. 
Brig. Gen. Adelbbrt Ames. 



First Brigade. 
Col. Leopold von Gilsa. 

41st New York (nine companies)? 

Lieut. Col. Detleo von Ein" 

siedel. 
54th New York : 

Maj. Stephen Kovacs. 

Lieut. Ernest Both [?]. 
68tli New York, Col. Gotthilf Bourry. 
153d Pennsylvania, Maj. John 

FrueauflF. 



Second Brifiade. 

Brig. Gen. Adelbert Ames. 
Col. Andrew L. Harris. 

17th Connecticut : 

Lieut. Col. Douglas Fowler. 
Maj. Allen G. Bradv. 
25th Ohio : 

Lieut. Col. Jeremiah Wil- 
liams. 
Capt. Nathaniel J. Manning. 
Lieut. William Maloney. 
Lieut. Israel White. 
75th Ohio : 

Col. Andrew L. Harris, 
Capt. George B. Fox. 
107th Ohio : 

Col. Seraphim Meyer. 
Capt. John M. Lutz. 



second division. 
Brig. Gen. Adolph von Steinwehr. 



Col. 



First Brigade. 
Charles R. Coster. 



134th New York, Lieut. Col. Allan 

XT T 3,0 k son 
154th New York, f/ieut. (^ol. D. B. 

Allen. 
27th Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. Lo- 

renz Cantador. 
73d Pennsylvania, Capt. D. F. 

Kelley. 



Second Brigade. 

Col. Orland Smith. 

33d Massachusetts, Col. Adin B. 

Underwood. 
136th New York, Col. James Wood, Jr. 
55th Ohio, Col. Charles B. Gam bee. 
73d Ohio, Lieut. Col. Richard Long. 



THIRD division. 

Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz. 



First Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Alex.Schimmelfenniq. 
Col. George von Amsberg. 

82d Illinois, Lieut. Col. Edward S. 

Salomon. 
45th New York : 

Col. George von Ainsberg. 

Lieut. Col. Adolphus Dobke. 
157th New York, Col. Philip P. 

Brown, Jr. 
61st Ohio, Col. Stephen J. .Mc- 

Groarty. 
74th Pennsylvania : 

Col. Adolph von Hartung. 

Lieut. Col. Alex, von Mitzel. 

Capt. GustavSchleiter. 

Capt Henry Krauseneck. 



Col. 



Second Brigade. 
W. Krzyzanowski. 



58th New York : 

Lieut. Col. August Otto. 

Capt. Emil Koenig. 
119th New York : 

Col. John T. Lockman. 

Lieut. Col. Edward F. Llojal. 
82d Ohio: 

Col. James S. Robinson. 

Lieut. Col. David Thomson. 
75th Pennsj'lvania : 

Col. Francis Mahler. 

Maj. August Ledig. 
26th Wisconsin : 

Lieut. Col. Hans Boebel. 

Capt. John W. Fuchs. 



* During the interval between thejleath of General Kevnolfls and the arrival of General Han- 
cock, on the afternoon of July 1. all the troops on the tlelil of battle were commanded by Gen- 
eral Howard, General Schurz taking command of the Eleventh Corps and General Schimmel- 
fennig of the Third Division. 



138 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



AHTILLKRY BRIIJADE. 

Maj. Thomas W. Osborn. 
1st New York Light, Battery I, Capt. Michael Wiedrich. 
New York Light, 13th Battery, Lieut. William Wheeler. 
1st Ohio Liglit, Battery I, Capt. Hubert Dilger. 
1st Ohio Light, Battery K, Capt. Lewis Heckman. 
4th United States, Battery G.- 
Lieut Bayard Wilkeson. 
Lieut. Eugene A. Bancroft. 

TWELFTH ARMY CORPS. 
Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum.* 
Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams. 

PROVOST GUARD. 

10th Maine (four companies), Capt. John D. Beardsley. 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams. 
Brig. Gen. Thomas H. Ruger. 



Col. 
5th 

20th 

3d 

123d 

145th 
46th 



(Second Brigade. \ 
Brig. Gen. Henry H. Lockwood. 
1st Maryland, Potomac, Home 
Brigade, Col. William P. 
Maulsby. 
1st Maryland, Eastern Shore, Col. 
James Wallace. 
150th New York, Col. John H, 
Ketcham. 



First Brigade. 

Archibald L. McDougadl. 

Connecticut, Col. Warren W. 
Packer. 

Connecticut, Lieut. Col. Wil- 
liam B. Wooster. 

Maryland, Col. Joseph M. Suds- 
burg. 

New York: 

Lieut. Col. James C. Rogers.' 
Capt. Adolphus H. Tanner. 

New York, Col. E. Livingston 
Price. 

Pennsjdvania, Col. .James L. 
Selfridge. 

Third Brigade. 
Brig. Gen. Thomas H. Ruger. 
Col. Silas Colgrove. 
27th Indiana: 

Col. Silas Colgrove. 
Lieut. Col. John R. Fesler. 
2cl Massachusetts : 

Lieut. Col. Charles R. Mudge. 
Maj. Charles F. Morse. 
13th New Jersey, Col. Ezra A. Carman 
107th New York, Col. Nirom M. Crane. 
3d Wisconsin, Col. William Hawley. 
second division. 
Brig. Gen. John W. Geary. 



5th 

7th 

29th 



66th 

28th 

147th 



Fir.'il Brigade. 
Col. Charles Candy'. 
Oiiio, Col. John H. Patrick. 
Ohio, Col. William R. Creighton. 
Ohio: 

Capt. Wilbur F. Stevens. 
Capt. Edward Hayes. 
Oliio, Lieut. CoL Eugene 

Powell. 
Pennsylvania, Capt. John 

Flynn. 
Pennsylvania (eight compa- 
nies), Lieut Col. Ai-io Par- 
dee, jr. 



Second Brigade. 

Col. George A. Cob ham, Jr. 

Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Kank. 

Col. Geouge a. Cobham, Jr. 

29th Pennsylvania, Col. William 

Rickards, jr. 
109th Pennsylvania, Capt. F. L. 

Gimber. 
111th Pennsylvania: 

Lieut. Col. Thos. M. Walker. 
Col. George A. Cobham, ir. 
Lieut. Col. Thos. M. Walker. 



•Exercl?e(J (■oniniMiid of the ripht wing of the army during a part of the battle. 

t UniiMsiKned (liirlnt; l)roKress (if battle; uftcrwiird nitached to First Division as Second Bri- 
gade. The rommand tlipretofore known as the Second (or .lackson'si Brigade had previously 
been coasoliclutud with tliu First Brigade. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



139 



Third Brigade. 
Brig. Gen. Geokuk S. Greenk. 
60th New York, Col. Abel Godard. 

78th New York, Lieut. Col. Herbert Von Hamnier.stein. 
102d New York : 

Col. James C. Lane. 
Capt. Ijewis R. Stegnian. 
137th New York, Col. David Ireland. 
149th Now York : 

Col. Henry A. Barnnin. 
Lieut. Col. Charles B. Randall. 

ARTILLERY BRIGADE. 

Lieut. Edward D. Muhlenberg. 
1st New York Light, Battery M, Lieut. Charles E. Winegar. 
Pennsylvania Light, Battery E, Lieut. Charles A. Atwell. 
4th United States, Batterj' F, Lieut. Sylvanus T. Rugg. 
5th United States, Battery K, Lieut. David H. Kinzie. 
CAVALRY CORPS. 

Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton. 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. John Buford. 



First Brif/ade. 

Col. William Gamble. 

8th Illinois, ^Maj. John L. Beveridge. 

12th Illinois (four cos.), ) Col. Geo. H. 

3d Indiana (six COS.), \ Chapman. 

8th New York, Lieiit. Col. William 

L. Markell. 



Second Brigade. 
Col. Thomas C. Devin. 
6th NeAV York, Maj. W. E.Beardsley. 
9th New York, Col. William Sackett. 
17th Pennsylvania, Col. J. H. Kel- 
logg. 
3d West Virginia (two companies), 
Capt. Seymour B. Conger. 
Reserve Brigade. 
Brig. Gen. Wesley Mebritt. 
6th Pennsylvania, Maj. James H. Haseltine. 
1st United States, Capt. Richard S. C. liord. 
2d United States, Capt. T. F. Rodenbough. 
5th United States, Capt. Julius W. Mason. 
6th United States : 

Maj. Samuel H. Starr. 
Lieut. Louis H. Carpenter. 
Lieut. Nicholas Nolan. 
Capt. Ira W. Claflin. 

SECOND division. 

Brig. Gen. David McM. Gregg. 

Headquarters Guard. 

1st Ohio, Company A, Capt. Noah Jones. 



First Brigade. 
Col. John B. McIntosh. 

1st Maryland (eleven companies), 
Lieut. Col. Jas. M. Deems. 

Purnell (Maryland) Legion, Com- 
pany A, Capt. Robert E. 
Duvall. 

1st Massachusetts,* Lieut. Col. Greely 
S. Curtis. 

1st New Jersey, Maj. M. H. Beau- 
mont. 

1st Pennsylvania, Col. John P.Taylor. 

3d Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. E. S. 
Jones. 

3d Pennsvlvania Heavy Artillery, 
Section Battery H,t Capt. W. 
D. Rank. 



Second Brigade.^ 
Col. Pennock Huey. 
2d New York, liieut. Col. Otto 

Harhaus. 
4th New York, Lieut. Col, Augustus 

Pruyn. 
6tli Ohio (ten companies), Maj. 

William Stedman. 
8th Pennsylvania, Capt. William A. 

Corrie. 



* Served witb the Sixth Army Corps and on the right flank. 

t Serving as light artillery 

lAt Westminster, etc., and not engaged in the battle. 



140 



Ptnnsylvania at Gettysburg. 



Third Brigade. 

Col. J. IrVIN GrREQO. 

1st Maine (ten companies), Lieut. Col. Charles H. Smith. 
10th New York, Major M. Henry Avery. 

4th Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. VVm. E. Doster. 
16th Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. John K. Robison. 

THIRD DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick. 

Headquarters Guard. 

1st Ohio, Company C, Capt. Samuel N. Stanford. 

J^irst Brif/ade. Second Brigade. 



Brig. Gen. Elon J. Farnsworth. 
Col. Nathaxikl p. Richmond. 

5th New York, Maj. John Ham- 
mond. 
18th Pennsylvania, Lieut. Col. Wil- 
liam P. Brinton. 

1st Vermont, Lieut. Col. Addison 
W. Preston. 

1st West Virginia (ten companies): 
Col. Nathaniel P. Richmond. 
Maj. Charles E. Capehart. 



Brig. Gen. George A. Custer. 

1st Michigan, Col. Charles H. Town. 
5th Michigan, Col. Russell A. Algei-. 
6th Michigan, Col. George Gray. 
7th Michigan (ten companies), Col. 
William D. Mann. 



HORSE ARTILLERY. 



First Brigade. 
Capt. James M. Robertson. 

9th Michigan Battery, Capt. Jabez J. 

Daniels. 
6th New York Battery, Capt. Joseph 

W. Martin. 
2(1 United States, Batteries B and L, 

Lieut. Edward Heaton. 
2d United States, Battery M, Lieut. 

A. C. M. Pennington, jr. 
4th United States, Battery E, Lieut. 

Samuel S. Elder. 



Second Brigade. 
Capt. John C. Tidball. 

1st United States, Batteries E and G, 

Capt. Alanson M. Randol. 
1st United States, Battery K, Capt. 

William M. Graham. 
2d United States, Battery A, Lieut. 

John H. Calef. 
3d United States, Batterv C,* Lieut. 

William D. Fuller. ^ 



ARTILLERY RESERVE. 

Brig. Gen. Robert O. Tyler. 
Capt. James M. Robertson. 

Headqiuirters Guard. 

'Sza Massachusetts Infantry, Company C, Capt. .Tosiah C. Fuller. 

First Regular Brigade. First Volunteer Brigade. 



Capt. Dunbar R. Ransom. 

Ist United States, Battery H: 

Lieut. Chandler V. Eakin. 

Lieut. Philip D. Mason. 
3d United States, Batteries F and K, 

Lieut. John G. Turn bull. 
4th United States, Battery C, Lieut. 

Evan Thomas. 
5th United States, Battery C, Lieut. 

Gulian V. Weir. 



Lieut. Col. Freeman McGilvery. 

Massachusetts Light, 5th Battery 

(E),f Capt. Charles A. Phillips. 
Massac-luisetts Light, 9th Battery: 
Capt. Jolm Bigelow. 
Lieut. Richard S. Milton. 
New York Light, 15th Battery, Capt. 

Patrick Hart. 
Penns3'lvania Light, Batteries C and 
F, Capt. James Thompson. 



•with lluey'8 Cavalry BrlKude. nnd not engaged In biittle 
tlOth New York battery attached 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



141 



Second Volunteer Brigade. 
Capt. Elijah D. Taft. 

1st Connecticut Heavy, Battery B,* 

Capt. Albert F. Brooker. 
1st Connecticut Heavy, Battery M,* 

Capt Franklin A. Pratt. 
Connecticut Light, 2d Battery, Capt. 

John W. Sterling. 
New York Light, 5th Battery, Capt. 

Elijah D. Taft 



Third Volunteer Brigade. 
Capt James F. Huntington. 

New Hampshire Light, 1st Battery, 

Capt Frederick M. Edgell. 
1st Ohio Ijight, Battery H, Lieut 

George W. Norton. 
1st Pennsylvania Light, Batteries F 

and G, Capt R. Bruce Ricketts. 
West Virginia Light, Battery C, Capt. 

Wallace Hill. 



Fourth Volunteer Brigade. 

Capt. Robert H. Fitzhuqh. 

Maine Light, 6th Battery (F), Lieut Edwin B. Dow. 

Maryland Light Battery A, Capt James H. Rigby. 

New Jersey Light, 1st Batter3\ Lieut Augustin N. Parsons. 

1st New York Light, Battery G, Capt Nelson Ames. 

1st New York Light, Battery K,t Capt Robert H. Fitzhugh. 

Train Guard. 
4th New Jersey Infantry (seven companies), Maj. Charles Ewing. 



•Not engaged. 

t Eleventh New York Battery attached. 



142 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



RETURN OF CASUALTIES IN THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, 
COMMANDED BY MAJ. GEN. GEORGE G. MEADE, U. S. 
ARMY, AT THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG, PENNSYL- 
VANIA, JULY 1-3, 1863.* 





Killed. 


Wounded. 


Captured 
or Missing. 




Command. 


£ 
8 




a 

a 

1 


£ 

B 



a 


a 

■a 

<D 

a 


« 

B 



a 
<a 

a 

n 


1 
< 


GENBRAIi HEADQUARTERS. 
Staff 






2 


2. 






4 


FIRST ARMY CORPS. 

Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds. 
Maj. Gen. AunerDoubleday 
.Maj. Gen. John Newton. 

GENERAL HEADQUARTERS. 

Staff 


1 


' " 'l' 


] 










1st Maine Cavalry, Company L 


2 






3 


FIRST DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. James S. Wahdsworth. 

First Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Solo.mon Meredith. 
Col. William W. Robinson. 

Staff 






1 
12 
13 
11 

7 
10 








1 


19th Indiana 


2 
S 
1 
2 


25 
59 
25 
28 
21 


121 
197 
144 
109 
95 


4 

3 
5 

' ■ 1 


40 
83 
47 
22 
51 




24th Michigan ; 

2ci Wisconsin 


3ti3 


♦ith Wisconsin 


168 


7th Wisconsin 


178 








Total First Brigade 


13 


158 


54 


666 


13 


249 


1.153 


Second Brigade. 
Brig. Gen. Lysander Cutler. 




:iO 
''i 


'lii 
1; 
8 
9 
5 


5 

lit; 
99 
54 

185 
at! 


' r 
' ' 1' 


3 
70 
99 
45 
92 
54 


10 


Tt;th New York 


•-' 


S4th New York (Mtli Militia) 


0)7 


tintli .New York 




115 


147th New \<.rk 


1 




SGth Pennsylvania 


130 






Total Second Brigade 


6 


122 


44 


465 


2 


363 


1,002 


Total First Division 


19 


280 


98 


1,131 


15 


612 


2.165 


second division. 

Brig. Gen. John C. Robinson. 

Staff 






1 








1 



• Also includes losses In skirmishes, July i. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



143 





Ktllek. 


W .M 


.\ 1 1 1: 1 ) . 


('A I-nUKI) 

orMissinu. 




Command. 


§ 
o 


a 
a> 
3 

■a 
o 

a 


■ B 
o 


a 
o 

a 

■a 

01 
Q 


o 
S 

O 


a 
a 
g 

■0 
n 


« 

U 
< 


First Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Gabriel R. Paul. 

Col. Samuel h. Leonard. 

Col. Adrian R. Root. 

Col. Richard Coulter. 

Col. PETER Lyi,e. 

Col. Richard Coulter. 

Staff 






1 

5 
4 


10 
2 

8 


1 
54. 
73 
52 
81 
12 
48 


11 
3 
8 

10 


1 
153 

98 
167 

82 




16th Maine 


2 


7 

12 
11 
1 
11 




13th Massachusetts 


185 


94th New York 




245 


104th New York 




194 


11th Pennsylvania* 




16 


107th Pennsylvania 




6 


92 


1()5 








Total First Brigade 


2 


49 


36 


321 


40 


593 


1.041 


Second Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Henry Baxter. 

Staff 










1 
3 

' '3 

' 4 

1 


■ ■ 59 
58 
75 
00 
47 
39 


1 




2 

2 


3 
4 

10 
5 
4 


3 

y 

6 
3 
3 


45 
15 
27 
46 
62 
42 


119 

82 
126 
117 


83d New York (9th Militia) 

97th New York 






110 




1 


93 






Total Second Brigade 


7 


33 


31 


227 


12 


338 


648 


Total Second Division 


9 


82 


68 


548 


52 


931 


1,690 


third division. 

Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Rowley. 
Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday. 

Staff 






1 








1 


First Brigade. 

Col. CHAPMAN BIDDLE. 

Brig. Gen. Thomas a. Rowley. 






1 
15 

5 
11 

9 








1 


80th New York (20th Militia) 


3 


32 
12 
10 

49 


'.(6 
101 
117 
202 


1 
1 
2 
4 


23 
00 
68 
71 


170 
179 


142d Pennsylvania 


3 
. 2 


211 
337 








Total First Brigade 


8 


103 


41 


516 


8 


222 


898 


Second Brigade. 

Col. ROY Stone. 

Col. Langhorne Wister. 

Col. Edmund L. Dana. 


1 
1 


20 
o2 
33 


11 
14 
10 


130 
158 
142 


4 

4 


91 
107 
73 


2,53 




;i36 




264 






Total Second Brigade 


4 


105 


35 


430 


8 


271 


863 



•Transferred on afternoon of July 1 from the Second to the First Brigade. 
July 1 are reported with the latter fjrigade. 



Its louses after 



144 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 





Killed. 


Wounded. 


Captured 
or Missing. 




Command. 


0) 

e 
o 


B 

a 
1 

a 




c 

a 

•a 
1 
c 


£ 


c 

a 
1 

a 


be 
< 


Third Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Geokge J. Staxnaru. 
Col. Francis V. Randall. 

Staff 






2 
4 
1 
5 








2 


13th Vermont 




10 
18 
16 


99 
66 
97 




10 
21 

1 






1 


lOT 
119 


Itith Vermont 








Total Third Brigade 


1 


44 


12 


262 




32 


351 


Total Third Division 


13 


252 


89 


1,208 


16 


525 


2,103 


ARTILLERY BRIGADE. 

Col. Charles S. Wainwright. 
Maine Light, 2d Battery (B) 








18 
11 
14 
8 
29 






18 


Maine Light. 5tb Battery ;K)i 




3 
1 
3 
2 


2 

1 
1 
2 




1 


23 


l.st New York Light Battery L ' 




17 


1st Pennsylvania Light. Battery B 




12 


4th United States, Battery B 




-^^ 


3 
11 


36 








Tot|p,l Artillery Brigade 




9 


6 


80 


106 


Total First Army Corps 


42 


624 


262 


2,969 


83 


2,0T9 


6,059 


SECOND ARMY CORPS. 

Maj. Gen. Winfielu S. Hancock. 
Brig. Gen. John Gibbon. 

general headquarters. 

Staff 




3 








3 






1 


3 






4 


FIRST DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. John C. Caldwell 

First Brigade. 

Col, EDWARD E. Cross. 
Col. H. Boyd McKeen. 

Staff 






1 
4 
6 
5 
6 








] 


r>tli New Hampshire 


1 


26 
6 
5 

18 


49 
50 
44 
95 






80 


Cist New York 






62 


81st Pennsylvania 






8 
5 


62 


148th Pennsylvania 


1 


125 






Total First Brigade 


2 


55 


22 


238 




13 


330 


Second Brigade. 
Col. Patrick Kelly. 
28th Massachusetts 




8 

5 
6 
2 




9 

16 
11 


' l" 
' l' 


36 

6 
4 

8 


luo 


63d New York 




23 


69th New York 




25 


88th New York 


1 


28 


llr.th I'ennsylvania 


22 








Total Second Brigade 


1 


26 




105 2 i 60 


198 



•Battery E, Ist New York Light Artillery, attached. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



145 





Killed. 


Wounded. 


Captured 
or Missing. 




CO.MMAXI). 




d 

Hi 

S 
1 


u 

o 


B 

3 
•a 


o 


a 
I 

1 

a 


2 
S 

01 

< 


Third Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Samuel K. Zook. 
Lieut. Col. John Fraser. 

Staff 


1 

1 












1 


52d New York 


1 
4 
3 

U 


3 
2 
5 
8 


23 
26 
24 
136 


' l' 

3 


10 
2 
9 

57 


38 


57th New York ... 




B6th New York 


2 
3 




140th Pennsylvania 


241 


Total Third Brigade 


7 


42 


18 


209 


4 


78 


358 


Fourth Brigade. 
Col. John R. Bkookk. 


2 
2 
4 


8 
9 
11 

7 
11 


4 
7 
7 
11 
9 


19 
54 

67 
56 
60 




4 

12 
19 
6 
10 


37 




84 


ti4th New York 


- t8 




80 
•10 












Total Fourth Brigade 


8 


46 


38 


246 




61 


389 


Total First Division 


18 


169 


82 


798 


6 


202 


1.275 


SECOND DIVISIO.N-. 

Brig. Gen. Johx Gibbon. 
Brig. Gen. WILLIAM HARROW. 

Staff 






3 










First Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. William Harrow. 
Col. FRANCIS E. Heath. 

Staff 






1 
11 

8 
14 
12 








1 


19th Maine . . 


1 

3 
3 
3 


28 
20 
47 
42 


159 

89 
169 
120 


' l' 


4 

28 
I 
14 


20^i 


15th Massachusetts 

1st Minnesota* 

82d New York (2d Militia^ 


148 
224 
192 






Total First Brigade 


10 

4 
2 
2 
1 


137 


46 


527 


1 


47 


768 


Second Brigade. 
Brig. Gen. ALEXANDER i?. Webh. 


36 
19 
42 

8 


8 
3 

7 
9 


72 
55 
139 
46 


2 
3 


15 
16 
2 
1 


137 




98 




192 




64 






Total Second Brigade 


9 


105 


27 


311 


5 


34 


491 


Third Brigade. 
Col. Norman J. Hall. 


2 
2 
2 


38 
19 
15 
6 

75 


9 
8 
3 
6 
3 

29 


52 
86 
41 
49 
25 

253 




3 




20th Massachusetts 


127 


42d Niw York 




4 


74 






M 








14 




Total Third Brigade 


6 




377 



'2d (Company Minnesota Sharpshooters attached 

10 



146 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 





Killed. 


WOU.VDED. 


Captured 
OR Missing. 




COMMANn. 


u 

o 

1 

O 


a 

a 




a 

Hi 

a 

1 

n 


u 

e 
o 


a 
u 

a 

•c 
1 
"5 


3' 
c 

IE 
< 


Vnattacheil . 
Ist Company Maasaohusetts Sharpshooters 




2 




6 






8 


Total Second Division 


25 


319 


105 


1,097 


6 


95 


1.647 


THIKI) DIVISION. 

BriK. Gen. Alexander Ha vs. 

Fir.sf Rrifinfie. 

Col. Samitel S. Cakkoli.. 




6 
7 

17 
5 


3 
1 
10 

1 


22 
16 

73 
40 






31 


4th Ohio 


2 

1 




5 
1 
1 


31 


8th Ohio 


102 












Total First Brigade 


3 


35 


15 


151 




7 


211 


Second Brigade. 

Col. Tho.mas a. S.mvth. 
Lieut. Col. Francis E. Pierce. 




10 
9 

21 
2 

13 


10 
10 
4 

" 'lO 


42 
44 
79 
4 

76 


' l' 


4 

12 
9 


66 




1 




12th New Jersey 


115 


10th New York (battalion i 




108th New York 


3 






102 










Total Second Brigade 


6 


55 


34 


245 


1 


25 


366 


Third Brigade. 

Col. GEORGE L. Willaud. 
Col. Eliakim Sheurill. 
Lieut. Col. James M. Bri.i,. 

39th New York 


1 

3 
2 
5 


14 
55 
24 
35 

128 


3 
8 
6 
9 

26 


169 
98 
172 

516 








llIthNew York 

12.'>th New York 




14 
9 
10 

33 


249 
139 


12t!th New York 


231 






Total Third Brigade 


11 




714 


Total Third Division 


20 


218 


75 


912 


1 


65 




1,291 


artillery brigade. 

Capt. John G. Hazard. 

1st New York Light, Battery B* 


1 
' ' l" 


9 
3 
(> 
1 
5 

24 


i 


15 
27 
18 
23 
31 

114 






26 


1st Khode Island Light. Battery A . . . . 
l.tt Rhode Island Light. Battery B . . . . 
Ibt United States. Battery 1 




1 
2 


32 
28 
25 


4th irnited States, Battery A 


1 






38 






3 






3 


5 




149 


Total Second Army Corps .... 


66 


731 


270 


2,924 


13 


365 


4,369 



•TranHlerred from Artillery Keservo, July 1, 14th New York Battery attached 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



147 





Killed. 


WOUNDBD. 


Captured 
or missing. 




Command. 


s 

o 


a 


u 

a 

1 


Enlisted men. 


u 

Q 
c 


c 

S 

.2 
a 


6 

1 

< 


THIRD ARMY CORPS. 

Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles. 
Maj. Gen. David B. Birney. 

Stan 




2 




2 


FIKST division. 

Maj. Gen. David B. Bikney. 
Brig. Gen. J. H. Hobart Ward. 

First Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. CHARLES K.Graham. 
Col. ANDREW H. TIPPIN. 

Staff 






3 
9 
3 
9 
U 
1 








3' 




2 


1 
10 


25 

61 


37 
26 
117 
101 
■ 85 
97 

463 


3 

' 3 


55 
4 

13 
i) 

57 

21 

159 


115 




34 




3 
1 


152 




132 




155 






149 








Total First Brigade 


6 


45 


6 


740 


Seeond Briyude. 

Brig. Gen. J. H. Hobart Ward. 
Col. HIRAM Berdan. 






1 

9 
2 
3 
3 
3 
4 
4 
4 








1 






30 
17 
9 
10 
24 
17 
5 
5 


105 
57 
56 
48 
54 
77 
33 
19 


4 

1 

' l' 


10 
45 
70 
3 
5 
11 
6 
14 


156 


3(3 Maine 


122 


4tli Maine 


144 


86th New York 

124th New York 


66 
90 




110 


1st United States Sharpshooters 


49 

43 








Total Second Brigade 


12 


IIT 


33 


449 


6 


164 


781 


Third Brigade. 
Col. P. Regis de Trobhiand. 


I 


17 

17 
22 

8 


7 
3 
8 
4 

(i 


105 

28 
78 
116 
39 




3 

4 

7 


133 




45 




2 
1 


109 




150 




5.J 
















4 
22 


71 


28 


366 




21 


490 


Total First Division 


249 


106 


1.278 


12 


344 


2.011 


SECOND DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. ANDREW A. HUMPHREYS. 

Staff 




2 


2 


7 




.... 1 11 



148 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 





Killed. 


Wounded. 


Captured 
OR Missing. 




Command. 


£ 

o 

o 


c 

a 

2 


o 

o 


B 
V 

S 
•o 

0) 

a 


01 

o 


a 
3 

1 
a 


1 

zi 
SI 

2: 

< 


Fir.sf Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Cark. 
Staff 






2 
8 
7 
4 
5 
9 
10 












1 
1 

3 

1 
3 

1 


15 
22 
12 

19 
14 
29 


75 
89 
49 
65 
115 
166 


' i 


21 
8 

13 
2 

12 
7 


120 




129 




81 




92 


nth New Jersey 


158 
213 






Total First Brigade 


10 


111 


45 


559 


2 


63 


790 


Seconii Brigade. 
Col. WiLLiA.M R Brewster. 






2 

8 

11 
6 
10 









70th New York 




20 

9 

47 
12 
25 


85 
62 
72 
92 
68 
144 




4 
13 

28 
8 
3 

17 


117 




1 


91 


72d New York 


114 




4 


162 




89 


120th New York 


7 


203 






Total Second Brigade 


12 


120 


50 


523 




73 


778 


Third Brigade. 

Col. GEORGE C. BITRLINO. 

2d New Hampshire 

5th New Jersey 


3 
2 


17 
11 
1 
14 
7 
3 


18 
6 
3 

10 


. 119 
60 
29 
76 
31 
18 




36 
16 
8 
13 
2 
3 


193 
94 
41 




1 


114 




47 






24 








Total Third Brigade 


6 


53 


43 


333^ 

1,422 




78 


513 


Total i^ecoDd Division 


28 


286 


140 


2 


214 


2,092 


ARTILLERY BRIGADE. 

Capt. George E. Randolph. 
Capt. A. JUDSON Clark. 

New Jersey Light. 2d Battery 




1 




16 

10 
10 
24 
18 




3 
8 
I 
1 
4 


20 


iHt New York Light. Battery D 




IS 


New York Mglil, 4th Battery 




2 
3 
2 


' i 
1 


IS 


Ist Rhode Island Light, Battery K 

4th L'nlted States. Battery K 




30 
25 








Total Artillery Brigade 




8^ 

543 


3 


78_ 

2,778 




17 


106 


'i'olal 'I'lilrd Army Corps 


50 


251 


U 


575 


4,211 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



149 



FIFTH ARMY CORPS. 
Maj. Gen Geor<;e Sykes. 

FIKST J)IVISION. 

Brig. Gen, James Barnes. 

First Brifiailr. 
Col. William S. Tilton. 



18th Massachusetts, 

22d Massachusetts, 

1st Michigan. . . . 

118th Pennsylvania, . 



Total First Brigade, 



Second Briyade. 
Col. Jacob B. Swettzeb. 



9lh Massachusetts. 
82d Massachusetts, 

4th Michigan, . . 
62d Pennsylvania. 



Total Second Brigade. 



Third Brigade. 



Col. Strong Vincent. 
Col. James C. Rice. 



Staff 

20th Maine 

16th Michigan, . . 
44th New York, . . 
83d Pennsylvania, 



Total Third Brigade, 



Total First Division 

SECOND DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. Ro.meyn B. Aybes. 

First Br i (jade. 
Col. Hannibal Hay 



Staff 

3d Unlived States, 
4th United States, 
6th United States, 

12th United States. 

14th United States, 



Total First Brigade, 



Captured 
OR Missing. 



1 
62 
28 
39 
67 
108 



80 
165 
175 



1 
125 
60 
111 



1 

73 
40 
44 
92 
132 



150 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 





Killed. 


WorXDED. 


Captured 
OR Missing. 




Command. 


£ 
a) 
o 

o 


d 

B 

■a 
a 

a 


B 

o 


d 

© 

a 

■a 

■ 

a 


i 

a 


B 



13 

41 

a 



2 

a 

£ 

in 

< 


Seconii liriijdite. 

Col. Sidney Bukbank. 

2fl United States 


1 
1 

1 

3 

1 


5 
11 
15 
16 
24 


4 
3 
5 

13 


51 
42 

27 
85 
105 




6 
2 
3 
9 

7 


67 


7th United States 

10th United Stute.s 


59 
51 
120 


ITth United States 


150 






Total Second Brigade 


7 


71 


32 


310 




27 


447 


Tlilrd Brigade. 

Brig. (ien. Stephen U. Weed. 
Col. Kenneu Gaubakd. 

Staff. 














1 


UUth New York 


25 
4 

3 

6 


2 
2 

2 


84 
22 
14 
11 




18 


183 


l4Hth New Yorli 


28 










19 










19 












Total Third Brigade 


2 


38 


11 


131 




18 


200 


Total Second Division 


10 


154 


56 


746 




63 


1,029 


THIKD DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. Samuel W. Crawford. 

First Briyade. 

Col. William McCandless. 




8 
3 
2 
5 


3 
2 

1 
8 


35 






46 






31 
21 
31 




1 


' 37 




2 


24 


13th Pennsylvania Keseives (Ist Rifles), 




2 


48 


Total First Brigade 


2 


18 


14 


118 




3 


155 


TJiirii Brvjade. 
Col. .Joseph W. Fisheu. 








2 
5 
3 






2 




















3 

1 


'3 






5 


llth Pennsylvania Ileserves 


1 


35 
1 






41 






2 












Total Third Brigade 


1 
3 


5 


3 


46 






55 


Total Third Division 


23 


17 


164 




3 


210 


artillery buigade. 

Capt. AUGUSTUS p. Martin. 

Massachusetts IJght. M Battery (0), . . . 








<; 
2 

6 
18 






<> 


1st Ohl'i Light. Battery L 






2 




1 


1 


' 1' 






13 


uth United states, Battery I 




2 


22 








Total Artillery Hrlga<le 


1 


7 


1 


32 




2 


43 


Aruliulance Corps 








1 






1 


Total Filth Army Corps 


28 


337 


120 


1.482 


1 


210 


2.187 



Pennsylvania at Oettysburg. 



151 





Killed. 


Wounded. 


Captured 
OR Missing. 




COMMAXD. 




d 

(V 

a 




a 

a 




B 

a) 

a 


a> 




B 
o 


•o 
a 


E 
O 


p 


2 
a) 
u 

Q 
O 


.2 

a 


< 


SIXTH ARMY COUPS. 
















Maj. Gen. John SEDti WICK. 
















FIRST DIVISID.N'. 
















Brig. Gen. Houatio G. Whight. 
















Firat Brigade. 
















Brig. Gen. Alfueu T. A. Ti>rbebt. 
















2d New Jersey, 








6 
2 
3 




















2 
































Total First Brigade 








11 






11 


Second Brigade. 
















Brig. Gen. Joseph J. Barti.ett. 
















21st New Yorlj 








2 
1 

1 






2 






1 








2 










1 
















Total Second Brigade 




1 




4 






5 


Third Brigade. 
















Brig. Gen David a. Russell. 
























3 






2 
















Total Third Brigade, 






. 


2 






2 


Total First Division, 




1 




17 






18 


SECOND DIVISION. 
















Brig. Gen. Albion P. Howe. 
















Second Brigade. 
















Col. Lewis a. Grant. 
























1 






1 
















Total Second Brigade 








1 






1 


Third Brigade. 
















Brig. Gen. Thomas H. Neill. 
























6 
2 
2 

I 






a 


43d New York 


1 


1 






1 


5 


49th New York 


2 












1 


2 












Total Third Brigade 


1 


1 




11 


. . . 


2 


15 


Total Second Division 


1 


1 




12 




2 


16 



152 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 





Killed. 


Wounded. 


Captured 

ORMlSSING. 




CO.1l.MAXl). 


9 

1 


a 
a 
B 
■a 
i> 
*^ 

a 
4 


2 

o 

B 

o 


a 
o 

n 

•o 
31 
r. 

c 

'A 


c 

a) 

B 
o 


Enlisted men. 


1 

< 


THIRD DIVISION. 

Maj. Gen. John Newton. 
Brig. Gen. Fkank Wheaton. 

First Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Alexander Shaler. 

tioth Xew Vork 




5 




9 


erth New York 






1 
2 


]22d New York 




10 


i 


30 
12 
6 




44 

14 


23d Penn.svlvania 


1 


82d Pennsylvania 






g 




1 












Total First Brigade 


14 


3 


53 




3 


74 


Second Brigade . 
Col. HENRY L. ETSTIS. 

7th Massachusetts 






















1 
1 






5 
19 

1 


9 
47 

7 






2 

1 


25 
5 




2d Hhode Island 








Total Second Brigade 




3 


2 


39 




25 


69 


Third Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Frank Wheaton. 
Col. David .1. Nevin. 

f!2d New York 




1 


1 
1 

2 
3 


10 
9 
9 

16 






12 
10 
11 
20 










HSth Pennsylvania 














1 














Total Third Brigade 




2 


7 


44 






53 


Total Third Division, 


1 


19 


12 


136 




28 


196 


ARTII.LKRV BRIGADE. 

Col. Charles H. Tompkins. 
New York Light, IstBatterv 




4 


2 


6 


















Total Artillery Brigade 




4 


2 


6 






12 


Total Sixth Army Corps 


2 


25 


14 


171 




30 


242 


ELEVENTH ARMY CORPS. 
MaJ. Gen. Oliver O. Howard. 

GENERAL HEADQUAUTEH8. 

Staff 






1 








1 


l8t Indiana Cavalry. Companies I and K, . 










■3 


3 


KIRST division. 

Brig. Gen. Francis C. Baulow. 
Brig. Gen. Adelbkrt Ames. 

Staff 






1 








1 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



153 





Killed. 


Wodnded. 


Captured 
OK Missing. 




COMMA.VD. 


a 
g 

1 
1 


c 

a 

■a 
S 

a 

a 


u 

E 
o 


Enlisted men. 

1 


£ 

a 
£ 
O 


d 

o 

a 

■c 
1> 

a 


6 
u 
u 

<: 


First Brigade. 

Col. Leopold von Gilsa. 
Staff 










1 




14 

7 
7 
22 


8 
2 
4 

7 


50 
45 

59 
135 

289 


4 
2 


44 
65 
46 

157 


75 
10' 


54th New York. . 


68th New York, 


1 
1 




153d Pennsylvania 


211 


Total First Brigade 


4 


60 


21 


6 


527 


Second Briyade. 

Brig. Gen. adelbert Ames. 
Col. ANDREW L. Harris. 


2 

1 


18 
8 
14 
23 


4 
5 

7 
8 


77 
95 
67 
103 


2 

3 
4 


94 
72 
92 
77 




n2oth Ohio 


184 


75th Ohio, 




lUTth Ohio, ... 


211 








Total Second Brigade 


5 


63 


24 


342 


9 


335 


778 


Total First Division 


9 


113 


46 


631 


15 


492 


1.306 


SECOND DIVISION. 

Brig Gen. Adolph vox Steinwehr. 
Staff 






1 








1 


First Brigade. 

Col. CHARLES R. Coster. 

134th New York 


1 


41 

1 
4 


4 

1 
3 


147 
20 
26 
27 


2 
9 
1 


57 
169 
75 




154th New York 


200 




2 


111 




34 












Total First Brigade 


3 


53 


8 


220 


12 


301 


.597 


Second Brigade. 
Col. Orland Smith. 




7 
17 

6 
21 


' ' 1 
1 
3 


38 
88 
30 
117 




45 






1 

1 


2 
11 
4 


109 


55th Ohio 




49 


73d Ohio 




145 








Total Second Brigade 




51 


6 


273 


2 


17 


348 


' Total Second Division, 


3 


104 


14 


493 


14 


318 


946 


THIRD DIVISION. 

MaJ. Gen. Carl Schurz. 

First Brigade. 

Brig. -Gen. A. SchimmelfenNIG. 
Col. George von a.msberg. 

82d Illinois 




4 
11 
23 

4 

8 


1 

1 
8 
6 
4 


18 
34 
158 
30 
36 


4 

14 
6 
2 
2 


85 
164 
108 
10 
68 


112 


45th New York 




224 




4 
2 
2 


307 




54 




110 






Total First Brigade 


S 


50 


20 


276 


28 


425 


807 



154 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 





Killed. 


WOUNDED. 


Captured 
OR Missing. 




Command. 


o 


a 
a 

a 
I 




o 

E 

o 

2 
4 
14 

11 


d 
a) 

a 

■a 
a 


0) 

e 

o 

■ l' 

2 
' ' 2 


S 

a 

1 

c 


6 
9 

< 


Second Brigade. 
Col. W. Kkzyzaxowski. 


1 


1 
9 
13 
10 
24 


13 
66 
71 
84 
118 


3 
58 
77 

3 
60 


20 


ll'lth New York 


2 


140 


82d Ohio 


4 
3 
2 


181 
III 




217 






Total Second Brigade 


12 


63 


36 


352 


5 


201 


669 


Total Third Division 


20 


113 


56 


628 


33 


626 


1,476 


ARTILLERY BRIGADE. 

Maj. Thomas W. Osborn. 




3 


2 


8 
8 
13 
10 
11 






13 


New York Light, 13th Batterr 






■^ 


11 


1st Ohio Lifiht Batterv 1 








13 


1st Ohio Liglit. Battery K 




2 

1 


1 




i 


15 


4th United States, Battery G. 


1 


17 


Total Artillery Brigade, 


1 


(i 


3 


50 




9 


69 


Total Eleventh Army Corps, . . . 


33 


336 


120 


1,802 


62 


1.448 

5 
1 


3.801 


TWELFTH ARMY CORPS. 

Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum. 
Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams. 

FIRST DnnsioN. 
Brig. Gen. alpiieus S. Williams. 
Brig. Gen. Thomas U. Rugbr. 

Firs* Brigade. 

Col. AUCUIBALD L. McDOUGALL. 






2 
22 
6 
9 
8 
9 










.5 

" ' " 3 
1 
2 


r 
1 

1 
1 


28 




1 


8 




1 




14 






10 








1 


13 








Total First Brigade, 


1 


11 


4 


56 


1 


7 


80 


Second Brigiidi'. 

Brig. Gen. Henry H. Lock wood. 

1st Maryland. Potomac Home Brigade, . 


3 


20 
6 

7 


3 


77 
18 
23 




1 
15 


104 






45 








Total Second Brigade 


3 


32 


3 


118 




18 


174 


Third lirigade. 

Brig. Gen. THOMAS H. UUGER. 
Col. Silas COLOROVE. 




23 

21 

1 


8 
8 
3 


78 

101 

17 

2 

7 




1 
4 


110 


2d Massachu.ietts 

llith New Jersey 


2 


136 
21 






2 






2 ' 1 






10 
















Total Third Brigade 


2 


47 


20 


206 




5 


279 


Total First Division 


6 


90 


27 


379 


1 


30 


533 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



155 





Killed. 


Wounded. 


Captured 

OR Missing. 




Command. 


a 
o 

o 

I 


a 

0) 

a 

•o 
c 


i 
1 

o 

1 

' 3' 

1 


c 


a 

•c 

I 

c 

El: 


2 


a 

a 

£ 


6 

w 

< 


SECOND DIVISION. 

BriK. Gen. JOHN W. GEAUY. 

First Brigade. 
Col. Charles Candy. 


1 

1 
5 


15 
17 
31 
14 
22 
15 






18 








18 




2 






38 








17 






4 




'^ 


2: 




1 


20 










Total First Brigade 


i 


U 


5 


114 




2 


139 


Second Brigade. 

Col. George a. Cobham, Jr. 
Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Kane. 
Col. GEORGE A. Cobham, Jr. 


2 


13 
3 
.5 


' 1" 


43 
6 
16 




8 

1 


66 




10 






22 








Total Second Brigade 


2 


21 


1 


65 




9 


98 


Third Brigade. 
Brig. Gen. George S. Greene. 




11 
G 
2 

3(> 
B 


2 
1 
1 
3 
3 


39 
20 
16 
84 
43 






52 






1 


2 
8 
10 
3 


30 


102d New York 


i 


29 




137 


149th New York, 


55 


Total Third Brigade 


e 


61 


10 


202 


1 


23 


303 


Total Second Division 


12 


96 


16 


381 


1 


34 


540 


ARTILLERY BRIGADE. 

Lieut. Edward D. Muhlenberg. 








3 
1 






3 














1, 


5th United States. Battery K 








5 






5 


Total Artillery Brigade 








9 






9 


Total Twelfth Army Corps, . . . 


18 


186 


43 


769 


2 


64 


1.083 


CALVARY CORPS. 
Maj. Gen. ALFRED Pleasonton. 

FIRST division. 

Brig. Gen. John Bueord. 

first Brigade. 

Col. WILLIAM Gamble. 

8th Illinois . 




1 
4 
5 
2 


1 
3 
1 
1 


4 

20 
21 




1 
6 
5 
16 


.1 
7 






20 


3d Indiana (six companies) 

8th New York 


1 


32 
40 


Total First Brigade 


1 


12 


t; 


.'>2 




28 


99 



lot; 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 





KILLKD. 


WorNDED. 


Captured 
OR Missing. 




COMMAXn. 


u 

s 

O 


c 

a 

•o 

s 


u 

o 


o 

•o 
a; 

1 


o 


n 
S 

c 


2 

r 

< 


Second Brigade. 
Col. Thomas c. devin. 








I 
2 




8 

4 
4 


9 


'.ith New York 




2 


• ■ • 


11 






4 














4 
















Total Second Brigade 




2 


• • • 


3 




23 


28 


Reserve Brigade. 
Brig. Gen. Wesley Merkitt. 




.3 

1 
3 


" ' l' 


9 
() 
4 
23 


1 
" '5 


2 
5 
6 
1 
203 


12 


1st Unlteu States, 




15 






17 






5 


•ith United States. * 




6 


h 


242 








Total Reserve Brigade 




13 


6 


49 


6 


217 


291 


Total First Division 


1 


27 


12 


104 


6 


268 


418 


SECOND DIVISION. 

Brig. Gen. David McM. Gregg. 

First Brigade. 

Col. John B. McIntosh. 

Ist Maryland 








2 

7 




1 


3 








2 


9 










2 
6 


2 






'5 


10 




21 










Total First Brigade, 






7 


19 




9 


35 


Third lirigade. 

Col. .1. IKVIX GRE(iG. 




1 
2 
1 
2 




i 

4 








lUth New York 




1 


2 


9 


4th Pennsylvania 




1 




4 






6 












Total Third Brigade 




« 




12 


1 


2 


21 


Total Second Division 




6 


7 


31 


1 


11 


56 


THIRD urVISION. 

Brig. -Gen. Jcdson Kilpatrick. 

Fimt Brigade. 

Brig. Gen. Ei.ox .1. Farnsworth. 
Col. Nathaniel P. Richmond. 

StaB 


1 












1 


.5th New York 


1 

2 
13 


' " 3 
3 


1 
4 

22 

1 


' 1' 


4 

8 
27 
3 


(i 






14 






K5 


1st West Virginia 


2 


12 






Total First Brigade. . 


» 


1 18 


6 


28 


1 


42 


98 



' Jjosses occurred at FalrUeld, Pa. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



157 





KILLED. 


Wounded. 


Captured 
or Missing. 




Command. 


1 


s 

1 

a 


u 

I 

o 


a 

a 

■a 
I 
"3 


i 


a 
« 

1 

i 


6 

S 

in 

I 
< 


Sfctiiiil Ilriqarle. 
Brig. Gen. Geokoe A. Cister. 




10 

1 
13 


6 

1 

4 


37 
29 
24 
44 




20 

18 

1 

39 


73 


5tU Michigan, 


1 


56 


6th iVlichigan 


28 


7th Michigan 




100 








Total Second Brigade 


1 


31 


13 


134 




78 


257 


Total Third Division, 


4 


49 


19 


162 


1 


120 


355 


HORSE ARTILLERY. 

First. lirigade. 
Capt. JAMES M. Robertson. 




1 




4 

1 
















1 






' ' ' l' 


1 






1 


4th United States, Batterv E 








1 
















Total First Brigade 




2 


1 


5 






8 


Second Brigade. 

Capt. John C. Tidball. 

1st United States, Battery K 




2 




1 

12 






3 


2d United States, Battery A 








12 






2 
















13 






15 


Total Cavalry Corps 


5 


86 


39 


315 


8 


399 


852 


AKTILLBRV RESERVE. 

Brig. Gen. Robert O. Tyler. 
Capt. James M. Robertson. 

First Regular Brigade. 

Capt. Dunbar R. Ransom. 

1st United States, Battery H 




1 

8 
1 
2 


.1 

' 1 
2 


14 

16 
12 




1 

1 


lU 


3d United States, Batteries P and K, . . . 
4th United States, Batterv C 


1 


24 

18 


5th United States, Battery C 






16 












Total First Regular Brigade 


1 


12 


4 


49 




2 


68 


First Volunteer Brigade. 
Lieut. Col. Freeman McGilvery. 




4 
7 
3 
2 


I 
2 
2 
5 


16 






21 


Massachusetts Light, yth Battery 

New York Light, 1.5th Batterv. 


1 


16 
11 

18 




2 


28 
16 


Pennsvlvania Light, Batteries C and F, . . 




3 


28 










Total First Volunteer Brigade 


1 


16 


10 


61 1. . 


5 


93 



' 10th New York Battery attached, whose loss, here included, was 2 men killed and 3 wounded. 



158 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 





Killed. 


Wounded. 


Captured 
or missing. 




CUJIMANH. 


2 

1 

o 


n 


V 

o 


Enlisted men. 




Enlisted men. 


i 

OS 

Ml 

£ 


Second Volunteer Briijade. 

Capt. Elijah D. Tapt. 

Conneelicut Liglit, 2d Battery 








■A 
2 




2 




New York IvlKht, 5th Battery 




1 




3 










Total Second Volunteer Brigade, . . 




1 




5 


... 1 2 


8 


Third Volunteer Brigade. 
Capt. James F. Huntin(;ton. 








3 
5 
13 
2 






3 


1st Ohio JjiKht, Battery H 




2 
6 
2 


" l' 






7 


1st Pennsylvania Ijight. Batteries F and G, 






3 


. 23 
4 












Total Third Volunteer Brigade. . . 




10 


1 


23 




3 


37 


Fourth Volunteer Briijiide. 

Capt. Robert H. Fitzhugh. 

Maine Light, 6th Batterv (F) 








13 

7 
7 






13 






2 








9 






7 


Ist New York Light, Battery K,* 












7 
















Total Fourth Volunteer Brigade, . . 




2 




34 






■o6 


Total Artillery Reserve 


2 


41 


15 


172 




12 


242 



RECAPITULATION . 



Greneral headquarters, 

First Army Corps, . . . 
Second Army Corps, 
Thirfl Army Corps, . . 
Fifth Army Corps, . . 
Sixth Army Corps. . . 
Eleventh Army Corps, 
Twelfth Array Corps, . 
Cavalry Corps, . . . . 
Artillery Reserve, . . 



Total Army of the Potomac, 







2 
262 


2 

2,909 






42 


024 


83 


2k 079 


06 


731 


270 


2.924 


13 


305 


50 


543 


251 


2,778 


14 


576 


28 


337 


129 


1,482 


1 


210 


2 


25 


14 


171 




30 


33 


330 


120 


1,802 


62 


1.448 


18 


186 


43 


709 


2 


04 


5 


86 


39 


316 


8 


.399 


2 


41 


15 


172 




12 


24(1 


2.909 


1,146 


13,384 


183 


5, 182 



4 

6,059 

4,369 

4,211 

2,187 

242 

3, 801 

1,082 

852 

242 

23. 049 



* 11th New York Battery attached. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



159 



GENERAL SUMMARY OF CASUALTIES IN THE UNION 
FORCES DURING THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN, JUNE 
3-AUGUST I, 1863. 



Location. 



Near Fayetteville, Va. , Junes 

Franklin's Crossing or Deep Run, Va.. June 

5-13 

Brandy Station (Fleetwood) and Beverly 

Ford. Va.. June St 

Stevenshurg, Va.. June!) 

Berryville. Va.. June 13, 

Opequon Cieek, Va,, June 13 

Bunker Hill, W. Va., June 13 

Winchester, Va . June 13-15, 

Berryville, Va., Juno 14 

Marnnsliurg, W Va., June 14, 

Wllliamsport. Md., June 15, 

Aldie, Va., June IT, 

Catoctin Creek and Point of Rocks, Md.. 

June 17, 

Middleburg, Va., June 17-18, 

Mlddleburg, Va. , June 19, 

UpperviUe, Va., June 21 

Near Gainesville, Va., June 21, 

Thoroughfare Uap and Hay Market, Va. , 

June 21-25, 

Near Aldie, Va., June 22, 

G-reencastle, Pa., June 22, 

McConnellsburg, Pa., June 25 

Near Gettysburg, Pa., June 2H 

Near Fairfax Court House, Va. , June 27, . . 

Near Rookville, Md., June2S 

Wrightsville. I^a., June 28, 

Muddy Branch, Md., June 29, 

Westminster. Md., June 29 

Hanover, Pa. . June 30, 

Sporting Hill, nearHarrisburg. Pa., June 30, 

Carlisle, Pa., July 1, 

Gettysburg, Pa., July 1-4 

Fairfield Gap, Pa., July 4 

Monterey Gap. Pa., July 4 

Emniltsburg, Md., July 4, 

Cunningham's Cross Roads, Pa.. July 5. . . 

Near Greeneastle, Pa. , July 5 

Near Fairfield, Pa., July 5 

Smithsburg. Md., July 5 

Hagerstown, Md., July 6, 

Williamsport, Md., July (i 

Downsville, Md.. July 7 

Funkstown, Md., July 7, 

Boonsborough, Md., July 8 

Near Williamsport, Md.. JulyS 

Benevola or Beaver Creek, Md., July9. . . . 

Funkstown, Md., July 1043 

Hagerstown, Md. . July 10-13 

Jones' Cross Roads, Md. , July 10 13, .... 

Ashby's Gap. Va., July 12 

Near Williamsport, Md., July 14, 

Falling Waters. Md.. July 14 

Near Harper's Ferry, W. Va. , July 14, . . . 

Halltown, W. Va., July 15 

Shepherdstown, W. Va. , July 15, 

Shepherdstown, W. Va. , July If) 

Snicker's Gap. Va., July 17 

Hedgesville and Martinsburg, W. Va., July 

18-19 

Ashby's Gap, Va. , July 20, 

Berry's Ferry, Va. , July 20 

Manassas Gap, Va., July 21-22, 

Chester Gap, Va. , July 21-22 

Wapping Heights. Manassas Gap, Va. , July 23, 
Near Gaines' Cross Roads, Va. , July 23, . . . 

Near Snicker's Gap, Va., July 23 

Battle Mountain, near Newsby's Cross Roads, 

Va.. July 24 

Brandy Station. Va., August 1 

Miscellaneous affairs en raiitc 

Total 



24H 
1 



2,909 
1 
1 



Wounded. 



1,145 



12 

13, 384 

4 



Captured 

OB Missing 



3, HUC, 

2 

140 



2(i 
225 
37 
(!« 
9 



5.182 
13 
29 
117 
1 
IS 



14 
20 
226 



837 
29 
4 

17 

97 

4,443 

3 

1!J9 

3 

305 

30 
270 

99 

209 

9 



1 

10 
17(! 

19 

23 

49 
215 

9 
12 
23,049 
21 
43 
l',8 

3 
19 

10 
2tl3 

no 

2 



1 

104 
4 




29 
2i> 
103 



30 
145 
242 



IfiO 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



STRENGTH AND LOSSES OF PENNSYLVANIA TROOPS AT 
GETTYSBURG. 



ORGANIZATION". 



Iiifantry. 

Eleventh, 

Twenty-third 

Twenty-sixth, . . . 
Twenty-seventh. . . 
Twenty -eighth, . . . 

Tweutv-niiith 

Thirtieth 



Thirty -tlrpt 

Thirtv -fourth 

Thirty-fifth, 

Thirty -eiehth, 

Thirty -ninth, 

Fortieth 

Forty-flrst 

Forty-second 

Forty -sixth 

Forty -ninth, 

Fifty -third 

Fifty -sixth, 

Fiftv-seventh 

Slxty-flrst, 

Sixtv-second 

Sixty-third 

Sixty-eighth 

Slxty-nintli 

Seventy-first 

Seventy-second 

Seventy-third 

Seventy-fourth 

Seventy-fifth 

Eighty first 

Eighty -seconil 

Eighty -third 

Eighty -fourth 

Eighty -eighth 

Ninetieth 

Ninety-first 

NInetv-third 

Ninety -fifth 

Ninety -sixtli 

Ninety -eighth 

Nlnety-nltith 

One Hundred :ind Second. . . . 

One Hundred and Fifth 

One Hundred .-ind Sixth 

One Hundred and Seventh. . . . 
One Hundred and Ninth, . . . . 

One Hundred and Tenth 

One Hundred and F.lovcntli, . . 
One Hunilred and rr.urteonth, . 
One Hundred :iiid I'iftopntli, . . 
One Hundred and Sixteenth, . . 
One Hundred an<l Klgliteenth, . 
One Hundred anil NIneteeuth, . 
OnoHundreil and Twenty-first, 
One Hundred and Thirty -ninth. 
One Hundred and Fortieth, . . . 
One Hundred and Korty-flrst, . 
One Hundred and Knrty-second, 
One Hundred and Forty -third, . 
One Hundrcfl and I'urty-fifth, . 
One Hundred .•md Fort v -seventh 
OneHundied and Fortv-elghth, 
One Hundii'd and I- ort v-nlnth, 
one llnnilred and littlelh, . . 
One Hundreil and I'iftv-first, . 
one Hundred nnd Fifty-third. 
One Hundred and Flfty-Ufth, 
Twenly-sl.vlh Knu-riieiicy, . 



292 
538 
3G5 
324 
303 
485 
444 
273 
334 
380 
877 
420 
892 
820 
349 
262 
818 
135 
252 
207 
400 
426 
296 
883 
829 
331 
458 
332 
381 
258 
190 
320 
308 
240 

20f; 

208 
258 
270 
35H 
35G 
40r. 
339 
286 
274 
335 
255 
140 
1.52 
2.59 
.812 
182 
r,(i 
3."2 
4fi(i 
30r. 
511 
f)90 
200 
3(12 
4f.5 
228 
298 
4I>8 
4,50 
397 
467 
.5ti9 
424 
74.S 



Wounded. 



Captured 
AND Missing, 



132 

14 

213 

111 

28 

66 

46 

37 

2 

24 

5 

5 

41 

2 



80 
130 
115 
2 
175 

34 
152 
137 

98 
197 

34 
110 
111 

62 
6 

55 



110 
94 
19 

to 

2 
1 
11 

no 



132 
64 

165 
10 
53 
22 

155 
24 
22 
25 
2 

179 
20 

241 

149 

211 

25;h 

90 
20 
125 
3.S6 
2i;4 
337 
211 
19 
176 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



161 



STRENGTH AND LOSSES OF PENNSYLVANIA TROOPS AT 
GETTYSBURG— Continued. 





Present. 


Dead. 


Woi-Ni)i';i). 


Capti-red 
AND Missing. 




Regiments. 


Officers. 




4) 

o 




1 

o 


c 


I 


Cavalry. 
First 


418 












2 

1 
6 


21 














1 


Third 

Fourtli 


394 
304 
460 
391 
411 
448 
599 

114 
144 
♦105 

139 


. . . . 


3 


5 


9 




21 
I 


Sixth 

Eighth 

Sixteenth, 


.... 


7 




2 


12 




2 .... 


4 













4 

8 


4 


Eighteenth 

ArtiUer]!. 
B, First 






2 

3 

7 
1 


1 


4 

8 




14 
12 


F, First / 

G. First \ 


1 1 12 




3 


23 


C, Independent, 

B, Independent 


3 


7 
3 
9 


U 




1 


3 


1 






14 


H, Third, 


52 






1 


1 






. . . J . . . . ^ . . . . 







' Effective force of Battery V included. 



COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF THE UNION LOSSES AT 
GETTYSBURG BY STATES, ETC. 





Killed. 


Wounded. 


Missing. 




CKMMANTi. 


e 

o 


Enlisted men. 


Officers. 


Knlisted men. 




Enlisted men. 


i 

be 

< 




4 
3 


41 
18 
9 
91 
112 
25 
182 
182 
47 
62 
72 
902 
692 
124 
13 

9 

100 

2 


18 
17 

5 
33 
36 

4 
79 
57 
14 
27 
43 
294 
293 
60 

4 
13 

4 
40 
34 


165 

98 

29 
351 
570 
103 
939 
596 
159 
236 
448 
3,713 
3, 469 
709 

74 
285 

43 
473 

11 

1 

860 

52 


2 
1 
4 
4 
15 

■ " '8 

4 

69 
45 
12 

■ ' " l' 

8 
3 


no 

24 
92 

68 

287 

4 

311 

254 

1 

38 

63 

1.692 

1,339 

351 

5 

59 

8 

180 

1 


340 


Delaware 

Illinois 


161 
139 


Indiana 


5 

4 

18 
18 
3 
5 
8 
76 
53 
15 
1 
1 
2 
5 
5 


552 
1,027 


Maryland 


140 
1.537 


Michigan. . 

Minnesota, 


1,111 
224 




368 




634 




6.746 




5,891 


Ohio 


1.271 


Rhode Island 


97 
415 




67 


Wisconsin, 


806 


Staff, 


56 




1 


D. S. Regulars 

U. S. Volunteers 


12 

1 


159 
10 


62 

8 


6 
1 


275 
20 


1,374 
92 


Total 


246 


2,90>.t 


1,145 


13,384 


183 


5. 182 


23.049 







11 



CEREMONIES AT THE DEDICATION 



OF THE 



REGIMENTAL MONUMENTS 



C163) 




PHOTO. BY W. M. TIPTON, OETTYSDL'RG. 



PRINT : THE r. QUTEKUNtlT CO.. PMILA. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 1G5 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

11™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September 3, 1890 

ADDRESS OF CAPTAIN H. B. PIPER 

MY Coiniades : — To have taken part on the side of the Union in the 
hite civil war is of much importance, ami to have participated as a 
member of that grand okl regiment, the Eleventh Pennsylvania Vol- 
unteers, may be counted an honorable distinction. The part it played 
in the most sanguinary national tragedy of the century, was both important 
and conspicuous. Entering the service at the beginning, and continuing to the 
end, participating in the first and last battles of the war, its very name became 
the synonym of patriotism and braverj'. 

Early in April, 1861, the old Eleventh was organized as a three months' regi- 
ment under the first call for troops by the President, and .saw some practical 
campaigning during that period, participating in the battle of Falling AVaters, 
Va., which was the first infantry fight of the war. 

It was the first Pennsylvania regiment to reorganize for three years' service. 
On July 25th, 1861. by official order of the Secretary of War, its services as a 
regimental organization were formally accepted, and it again entered on a 
career as one of the most faithful of all faithful military organizations placed 
in the field by our native State in those dark and bloody days. 

Passing overall its subsequent campaigns preceding the summer of 1863, the 
old Eleventh, then a part of Baxter's Brigade, Second Division, First Army 
Corps, left Falmouth, Va., on the l'2th of June, reached the state line, by way 
of Warrentown Junction, Herndon and Guilford Stations, Barnesville and Em- 
mitsbuig, camping at Wolford's farm on the evening of June 30th, reaching 
the vicinity of Gettysburg at 11 o'clock in the forenoon of the next day, and 
were saluted by the .sound of cannonading in the direction of Chambersburg. 
For the first time a northern army seeking a hostile foe stood inside the bound- 
aries of our grand old Commonwealth, and the harvest-gilded vallej's of the 
Keystone state were reverberating the deep-throated echoes of a foeman's 
cannon. 

The sons of hardy New England, of the Empire state and the west, were 
thrilled with intense and consuming interest of the hour, as much .so as if the 
contest about to be waged was on the threshold of their own homes. But the 
old Eleventh, the heroes of a .score of bloody confiicts, breathed their native 
air, trod their native vales, stretched their line of living valor along the crests 
of their native hills and battled for the homes of their childhood. Never did 
men more eagerly seek the field of carnage. 

The summer sun poured down its tropic heat. The distant ridges were filled 
with a brave and desperate foe, and Avhether Virginia or Pennsylvania was to 
be the seat of war was an open question to be decided by the bloody arbitra- 
ment of arms. 

Never had two great armies been so matched. It was a field which, like 
Marathon and Hastings and Waterloo, ]x)uud up in its issues the destinies of a 



166 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

thousand years of national life. Like Marmont's race with the English across 
the Spanish peninsula, the two opposing hosts had bent every collective 
energy to the task of reaching an advantageous position for a northern cafm- 
paign. But across the path of the rebel chieftain, Meade had swung his mag- 
nificent army. I.ee, careful, sleepless, tirele.ss in his patient vigilance, mus- 
tering the pride of the Confederate hosts under liis banner, strove to transplant 
from tlic bleeding bosom of his native state to the hills and valleys of Pennsyl- 
vania, the eating canker of civil war. Every man conii>rehended with more or 
le.^is clearness the importance of the hour, and the veterans of our own gallant 
regiment fought only as brave and determined men can fight in defense of their 
homes and their country. 

As they neared the position to which they were subsequently to be assigned, 
crossing the field and the meadow, they heard for the first time of the death 
of the gallant Reynolds. Having gone forward in advance of the troops to se- 
lect position for the impending conflict, he was killed by a rebel bullet before 
the fight began. No braver, truer man ever fell in the line of duty on the brink 
of a great battle. Had it been his to lead the brave men, whom he had .so often 
led, in that bloody fray that followed, those who knew him best knew full well 
how to the laurels already gathered he would have added imperishable fame. 
By noon the regiment had taken its position on Seminary Ridge, .south of the 
railroad cut. Scarcely had it halted in this position when General Baxter re- 
ceived an order from General Robinson to .send forward two regiments to check 
the enemy who was advancing on the north side of the railroad cut. The 
Eleventh Pennsylvania and Ninety-seventh New York, Colonel Coulter in com- 
mand, were selected for that purpose. Crossing the railroad and moving for- 
ward and to the right about a quarter of a mile, they met the advancing foe. 
held him in check, and prevented him from occupying the position he was so 
eager to obtain. 

It was at this point that the old Eleventh Pennsylvania and the Ninety-sev- 
enth New York charged and captured part of a brigade of North Carolinians. 
But the work so well done on this part of the field, and which was so essential 
to the final success of the Union arms in this great contest, was not accom- 
plished without .sacrifice. A list of the casualties will give .some idea of the 
fierceness of the conflict. 

About 3 o'clock your speaker was wounded and retired to the hospital 
in the town of Gettysburg. Soon after this our troops fell back to Cemetery 
I lill, south of the town, w here they participated, with the main body of tlie army, 
in the contest of the second and third days. Those of you who were present 
and took part in the first day's conflict will pardon me w hen 1 mention the per- 
sonal bravery of that grand old man, Colonel Wheelock, of the Ninety-seventh 
New York. He was taken prisoner on the afternoon of the firet day, but made 
his escape a few days later. Surviving the perils of the battle-field, he has since 
joined the innumerable hosts who have pitched their tents upon the eternal 
plains on tiie othei' side. 

While occupying a hotly-contested jMJsiiion on Cemetery Hill, Colonel Coulter 
was ordered to the command of the First Brigade. Not wishing to be separated 
from his regiment, he .secured its transfer also, and during the remaining part 
of the battle, the old Eleventh w^as temporarily a part of the First Brigade. 

The shifting changes of battle found our regiment near the Emmitsburg 
road sup[K)rtingthe Union batteries in the evening. About noon the next day, 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 107 

July 2d, it was relieved by the division of Generiil Hays and fell back to re- 
plenish its exhausted cartridge boxes. In the evening tlie brigade was thrown 
farther to the left and suffered heavily from the enemy's guns. 

About 10 o'clock at night it was engiiged, in conjunction with a part of the 
Eleventh Corps, in front of Cemetery Kidge, and was only relieved at day-break 
on the morniugof the od. In the afternoon the regiment gallantly supported the 
celebrated battery of Captain Kicketts on Cemetery Hill. Here Colonel Coulter 
was severely wounded, but remained in command. Though decimated and fa- 
tigued by the constant vigil of a three days' engagement, the old Eleventh, in 
support of the Second Corps, participated in the desperate struggle in which the 
Confederate chieftain was finally overthrown in his last despairing effort to win 
the ensanguined field. Immediately after the failure of Pickett, in his last 
tremendous charge, Lee began to withdraw his tbrces and the field of Gettys- 
burg was won. 

Years have elapsed since these hills reverberated to the thunder of the 
enemy's cannon. The soil, once red with patriot l)lood, grows rank with tangled 
grasses, or is starred with summer flowers. The eternal hills, lifting them- 
selves toward the heavens, silent as though the spirit of solitude sat enthroned 
upon their changeless summits, give no sign of the red current of battle that, 
twenty-seven years ago. rolled around their rocky bases. But the level light of 
the western sun touches with softened ray the granite slabs and monumental 
shafts that mark the final resting places of the ashes into which has mouldered 
the brave hot hearts who fought, who fell, who died that the Union might be 
preserved. They were willing to wash out the footprints of the rebel foe with 
their blood, and count it a joy to die. 

But, ah I Not here alone lie our fallen comrades of the old Eleventh. Along 
the bloody trail of war, at Bull Run, whose dual disaster twice made the nation 
tremble, on Antietam's historic field, on Fredericksburg's luckless plains, in 
the Wilderness, at Petersburg, on Virginia's hills and plains, wherever raged 
the deadly fight — there may be found the graves of our brave and honored 
dead. It would be a grateful task to recall the instances of personal heroism 
and bravery in which the history ot the regiment abounds, but time would 
fail to speak of it all, and it would seem invidious to speak of some. I may 
be, I know I shall be. pardoned if I tarry here, in passing, to say, that while 
the records of this Commonwealth endure, Pennsylvania will do well to honor 
the name of General Richard Coulter. Wounded again and again, with in- 
domitable courage and endurance, he led the old Eleventh gallantly in all its fa- 
mous fights. Cool, brave, even-nerved, well-balanced, self-poised, he possessed 
the highest instincts of a true soldier, united with the manliest attributes of a 
true man. Long may he live to meet and mingle with the survivors of that 
gallant band he so often led to victory and never deserted in defeat. 

But I cannot if I would, I would not if I could, forget the uncrowned and 
unsung hero of the knapsack and the musket. History furnishes no parallel 
to the gallantry of our citizen soldiery, the courage and grit of the American 
volunteer. The perils and hardships of war were his. His were the lonely 
vigils of the picket beat, and the dangers by flood and field. Upon his brave 
heart and conscience lay the political destiny of this great republic. The na- 
tion placed her life in his hands. And on a hundred bloody battle-fields he 
proved himself sublimely worthy of the trust. Among this un.selfish host of 
brave, true men, none were more brave and true than the soldiers of the old 



168 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

Eleventh. Their bones lie on every great battle-lield of the ciist, and the re- 
cords ot" southern prisons show the names of some of our gallant boys, not \)er- 
mitted to share a soldier's death on the tield of battle, but dying like some ancient 
martyr in love with his God and his country. To him, to the common soldier, 
to our dead comrades, whether here beneath his native soil he sleeps, or under 
the softer skies of the sunny south-land, we turn in grateful, tearful remem- 
brance. We rear these monuments to their honor and in their memory. But 
in the unborn ages yet to come, long after we too shall have passed away, a 
saved and grateful republic will rear in histoiy an everlasting memorial to 
their devotion and their valor, more changeless than brass and more enduring 
than marble, and that shall exist as long as these voiceless hills bear testimony 
to Gettysburg's fateful day ; and among the immortal names preserved as those 
the nation delights to honor in all the future, a high and honored place shall 
be forever held by the old "'Eleventh Pennsylvania Volunteers." 

And now, to the memory of our fallen companions of the old "Eleventh 
Pennsylvania Volunteers," the heroic dead who lost their lives in the service 
of their country, and to the regiment in whose ranks they fell, this monument 
is solemnly dedicated by their surviving comrades. May its silent presence 
teach more eloquently than language can express, the lessons of patriotism and 
self-sacrificiug devotion to country. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

23° REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September 12, 1889 
ADDRESS OF COLONEL JOHN F. GLENN 

/'"COMRADES : — We assemble here to-day to unveil a statue that sur- 
I mounts our monument, that we had the honor to dedicate some two 

y ; years ago, and it is with feelings of gratification that I extend con- 
gratulations to the Twenty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers and com- 
rades of Shaler's Brigade, for such a large attendance of their survivors on this 
hallowed ground -and in their name I mo.st heartily thank our friends who 
have honored the occasion by their presence. To the State of Pennsylvania we 
extend our grateful thanks for the gift which I now unveil, that of a Birney 
Zouave — and in saying this I assure the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania of the 
gratitude of all the survivors of the Twenty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer In- 
fantry. 



ADDRESS OF WILLIAM J. WRAV 

R. Secretary and Members of the Gettysburg Battle-field Memorial As- 
sociation : — On August 6, 1886, the Survivors' Association of the 
Twenty-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, and their friends, 
liad the honor to dedicate and turn over to the keeping of your Asso- 
<iation this tablet, that marks the position of the Twenty-third during the 
action of .July 3. 18()l{. On that occsision. General Alexander Shaler, as orator 
of the day, after reviewing the action of Gettysburg, and history of the regi- 



Pennsylvania at Geffi/shurg. 169 

nieiit, iu most eloquent words, generously paid tribute to the command as its 
brigade commander. 

Since that time the State of Pennsylvania has appropriated for the erection 
of monuments the sum of $1,500 to each Pennsylvania command that par- 
ticipated in the action. Our as.sociation appointed the required committee — 
.selected a design of a statue to surmount their tablet. The Pennsylvania State 
Commission on Gettysburg Monuments having approved of our selection, the 
work was ordered done, and we are here to-day to transfer to the keeping of 
the Battle-field Memorial A.ssociation, this granite work of art, just unveiled — 
a statue ol a "Birney Zouave." You will observe the figure represents a 
youthful soldier, who, advancing up the slope at trail arms, grasps his musket 
impulsively as he suddenly receives the fire of the enemy. It is quite a de- 
parture from the dress parade figure usually cut in granite, and while not regu- 
lation as to the position of the musket, it is realistic — thus showing the soldier 
under fire — and one more appropriate on a battle-field. The surrottndings be- 
ing woodland — the figure is supported by a broken tree, apparently struck by 
a piece of shell — all details as t^) uniform and accoutrements have been brought 
artisticallj' out, and in placing this work of art in the keeping of your Asso- 
ciation, we deem it a pleasant duty we owe to thank you for the faithful man- 
ner in which you have labored for the preservation of this field — and in the 
name of the survivors of the Twenty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 
we gratefully acknowledge the gift of the State of Pennsylvania, who .so gen- 
erously appropriated the funds for its erection. 



ORATION OF GENERAL SHALER 

COMRADES : — We meet to-day upon historic grounds. Some of us have 
met here betbre. Twenty-five years ago, within a few days, two great 
armies confronted each other in this vicinity. One in defense of state 
rights, the other in defense of United States rights. One assaulted the 
Union, the other defended it. 

I shall not attempt to describe iu full the great battle which ensued, relate 
the causes which led to it, nor discu.ss the efi'ect upon the country of the result- 
ing victory of the Union army, but content myself with a brief .synopsis of the 
part taken in this and other battles by that portion of the Sixth Corps in which 
we had the honor of serving. 

Let us go back to the autumn of 186L The " tocsin of war had sounded." 
The cry to arms had reverberated throughout the land. Fathers, husbands, 
brothers and sons turned their backs upon their children, their wives, their 
parents and all that was dearest to them on earth, and rushed impulsively to 
the defense of the Union. To .show how spontaneous and how general this out- 
burst of patriotism was, it may be stated that between July 27, 1861, and 
October 27 (a period of three months), there were added to the army then or- 
ganizing, about 120,000 men ; and that in December following there were in 
the vicinity of Washington and in the Shenandoah Valley over 200,000 men 
in battle arraj'. 

Washington and its suburbs was one grand encampment. Troops from every 
loyal state were being marshalled and prepared for active service. General 
George B. McClellan. whom we familiarly called "Little Mac," owing to his 
success in West Virginia, in the summer of 1861, had been called to Washing- 



170 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

ton to organize and lonunand an army for the double purpose of defendinji the 
Cai)itol and of taking the tiekl. As regiment after regiment arrived, they were 
organized into brigades and divisions without much reference to the states from 
wliich they came, and were encamped contiguous to each other. At Queen's 
Farm, on the Bladensburg road, just on the outskirts of the city, the Twenty- 
third Pennsylvania, Colonel Birney ; the Thirty-tirst Pennsylvania, which after- 
wards became the Eighty-second Pennsylvania, Colonel Williams ; the Sixty- 
fifth New York, Colonel Cochrane, and the Sixty-seventh New York, Colonel 
Adams, were encamped, and formed what was known as Graham's Brigade, 
under the command of Brigadier-General Pike Graham, an officer formerly of 
the United States cavalry service. This brigade formed part of the division com- 
manded by General Don Carlos Buell. 

As early as October, 1861, the organization of the army was practically com- 
pleted, and from that time until April, 1862, when the Peninsular campaign was 
begun, were drilled and schooled in the practices of war. The monotonous 
routine of camp life was varied only by an occasional wild rumor of approach- 
ing rebels, and a reconnaissance of the surrounding country. 

With the exception of a skirmish at Lewinsville, Virginia, just be3^ond Chain 
bridge, in which a part of the brigade (the Chasseur Regiment) was engaged, 
the troops had so far experienced only the drudgery and the jollities of camp 
life. But this was ended in the spring of 1862. by the cry of " On to Richmond." 
when our brigade, with the rest of the army, took transports at Alexandria lor 
Fortress Monroe. In the meantime the Sixty-first Pennsylvania, Colonel Rip- 
pey, had joined as. 

The campaign was begun with three corps of the army, to wit : — the Second, 
commanded by General Sumner ; the Third, commanded by General Heiutzel- 
man,and the Fourth, commanded by General Keyes. Couch's Division, to which 
we were attached, belonged to Keyes' Corps. Our advance up the Peninsula 
was slow and tedious, although no enemy was seen until we reached Yorktown. 
Pending the siege of that place we were occupied in watching Warwick river. 
The battle of Williamsburg followed the evacuation of Yorktown, and our bri- 
gade, after marching all day through a drizzling rain and mud ankle-deep, 
reached the battle-field in time to support some of Hooker's troops in making 
their final charge. 

Before we had advanced far enough from Fortress Monroe to .see the enemy. 
General Graham was relieved from duty and General Wessells. also of the regu- 
lar army, put in command of the l)iigade. General Wessells was in a short time 
succeeded by anothei- regular officer, General Abercrombie, who was with us at 
Fair Oaks, and retained the command until after the .second battle of Bull Run, 
lough t by General Pope. 

We cro.ssed the Chickahomiuy at Bottom's bridge about the 25111 of May, and 
advanced within five miles of Richmond, where, at Seven Pines and Fair Oaks, 
on the :51.st of May, was fought the first important and severe battle of the cam- 
paign. In this battle the regiments of our brigade were separated. We were 
encamped along the Nine Mile road, extending from Seven Pines, on the 
Williamsburg pike, to Fair Oaks Station, on the Richmond and York River 
railroad. 

Owing to the suddenness of the enemy's attack, the Twenty-third Pennsyl- 
vania and the Sixty-seventh New York were thrown forward, while marching 
towards Fair Oaks on the Nine Mile road, into a dense pine grove on the left. 



Pennsylvania at Getty filnirg. 171 

through which the enemy were advancing. They succeeded, with the Thirtv- 
first Peuusylvania and Sixty-lirst Pennsylvania, already in line, in checking 
that advance, but were subsequently Ibrced to retire with very heavy losses. 
In this onslaught the Sixty-first Penn.sylvania lost its colonel (Kippey) and 
was badly cut up. Their re-solute stand, however, enabled the rest of the bri- 
gade to reach Fair Oaks .Station, where, after holding position a short time, the 
Thirty-first Pennsylvania and .Sixty-first Pennsylvania having previously taken 
position in advance of their camps near the railroad station, they were with- 
drawn under the personal supervision of General Couch, the division com- 
nuinder, with a section of Brady's Battery, the Sixty -second New York, Colonel 
Kiker, and the Seventh Ma.ssachusetts, Colonel Russell, along the road leading 
to the Grape Vine bridge, so far as the Adams House. 

The Thirty-first I'ennsylvanui, the Sixty-fifth New York and two companies 
of the Sixty-first Penn.sylvania, which had been on the picket line, were posted 
in the order named on the right of the road facing and on the edge of a dense 
woods, while the Sixty-second New York. Brady's guns and the Seventh Ma.s- 
sachusetts were posted in the order named on the left of the road, on a knoll 
overlooking an open field and flanking the woods along which the first-named 
regiments had been formed. 

The enemy's advance through the piece of woods was resolute and persistent. 
Regiment after regiment was brought forward to drive us back and get on the 
flank of Brady's guns, but without avail. The dogged tenacity with which the 
men of the Thirty-fii-st Pennsylvania, the Chasseurs and the Sixty-first Pennsvl- 
vania clung to their position, outmatched the fierceness of the enemy's assault. 

Despairing of success in their efforts to flank the artillery, the enemy essayed 
a direct attack, but with no better success, although a few dead rebels were 
found w-ithin twenty yards of the muzzles of the guns. This attack was made 
alwut two o'clock in the afternoon, and so sudden that the brigade commander. 
General Abercrombie, was caught in the woods between the lines and received 
a slight wound in the face. Between four and five o'clock the leading brigade 
of Sedgwick's Division and Kirby's Battery of twelve-pounders, which had 
crossed the Chickahominy on the Grape Vine bridge, arrived on the field. 

The infantry were posted on the right and in the i-ear of our line, and the 
artillery on the knoll beside Brady's two guns. Other infantry were put in 
position on the left of the artillery, and connection made with the troops which 
had been forced back by the impetuosity of the assault. Fresh troops were ad- 
vanced by the enemy and the Vjattle raged until dark, but not an inch of ground 
was yielded. The conduct of our men in this battle furnishes an example of 
the benefits derived from proper instruction and rigid discipline. Under guid- 
ance of their oflicers, they reserved their fire until the enemy could be .seen 
through the thicket in front of them. As a result, a large proportion of the 
shots were efiective. The Chasseur Regiment captured a battle flag and the 
next morning buried over one hundred rebels found in their front. 

The following day the brigade was again united and moved to an advanced 
position. On the 26th of June the extreme right of our army at Mechanicsville 
was attacked by the rebels in force, and from that time until July 1st, when 
the battle of Malvern Hill was fought, we experienced all the trials and suf- 
ferings incident to a forced march of .six days, without sleep, shelter or regular 
food. At Malvern Hill, our division, having been arnong the first to arrive, 
was naturally assigned the most important position. Three several times it 



172 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

^vas assailed by the rebels, wlio were repulsed with learlul loss. On tlie right 
of the line, held by Couch's Division, the Chasseur Regiment was at one time 
compelled to change front under fire, and did it with such woudertul coolness 
and precision as to command the admiration and the compliments of the bri- 
gade commander. 

The six weeks eucampmeut ot the Army of the Potomac at Harrison's Laud- 
ing, on the James river, its transfer to the city of Washington, the part it took 
in supporting Pope's army in the second battle of Bull Run, and its subsequent 
reorganization by General McClellan, furnish nothing of special note in refer- 
ence to our brigade, except that Brigadier-General John Cochrane, who had been 
promoted from the colonelcy of the Chasseur Kegiment after the battle of Fair 
Oaks, was put in command of our brigade in the place of General Abercrombie, 
who had been assigned to duty at Centerville, after Pope's campaign, and 
Couch's Division was transferred to the Sixth Corps, commanded by General 
Frailklin. 

In the reorganization of the army, early in September, while on the march, 
the One Hundred and twenty-second New York regiment. Colonel Silas Titus, 
was added to our brigade, and we became the First Brigade, Third Division, 
Sixth Corps. 

After the defeat of Pope at Manassas, Lee boldly struck out northward, in 
the direction of Leesburg, necessitating great caution on the part of McClellan, 
who had been again rerball// placed in command of the troops about Washing- 
ton, embracing those designated as the Army of Virginia. 

The battle-field of Antietam was reached by our brigade early in the after- 
noon of the 17th of September, after a tramp through Pleasant Valley and up 
to the top of Maryland Heights, in search of the rebel General McLaws, on 
one of the hottest days and over the dustiest road we had ever marched. At 
Antietam we relieved that part of the line to the right of a corn-field and im- 
mediately in front of Dunker Church. This line we occupied until the morn- 
ing of the 19th, when our division was put in pursuit of the fleeing rebels, the 
rear guard of which we had a fight with, and drove acro.ss the river at 
Williamsport. 

McClellan's tardiness after the battle of Antietam caused much uneasiness 
and great dissatislaction with the authorities at Washington, and resulted in 
his being relieved at Warrenton, and General Burnside being placed in com- 
mand of the Army of the Potomac on the 9th of November, 1862. 

Upon the reorganization of the army which followed. General Couch was 
assigned to the command of the Second Corps and General John Newton to the 
command of the Third Division, Sixth Corps. 

In the calamitous failure of Burnside's attack on Fredericksburg, December 
13th to 15th, the Sixth Corps, then in command of General W. F. Smith, 
jxjpularly known as "'Baldy Smith," formed a part of the Left Grand Division, 
<'onjmanded by General Franklin. 

We cros.sed the Rappahannock about three miles below the city, near the 
Bernard House, and supported General Meade in his attack upon the enemy's 
right, without serious loss, although constantly under a heavy artillery fire. 
On the 20th of January following. General Burnside considered that "the aus- 
picious moment had arrived" and issued his orders lor recro.ssiug the Rappa- 
hannock at Banks' Ford. No .sooner had the troops broken camp than the rain 
commenced to fall in torrents, and, after floundering around a whole day, they 



Pennsylvania at Geffyshurg. 173 

returned to camp at night, having added notliing to our prestige or that of the 
comnumding general, and nothing to history, except the record of a " mud 
march. ' ' 

General Buruside's retirement from the comnrand of the army .soon followed, 
and General Hooker, already known as "Fighting Joe" for hi.s gallant and 
persistent assaults upon the rebel earthworks at Williamsburg, on the Penin- 
sula, and at South Mouutaia and Antietam, superseded him. Then followed 
another reorganization of the army, in whicli the Si.\ty-first Penn.sylvania was 
taken from our brigade and made a part of the Light Brigade, organized for 
special purposes. 

The resignation of General Cochrane, on the 1st of March, 1863, placed the 
speaker in command of the brigade. General Hooker's lirst lield operation 
was an effort to crush the Army of Northern Virginia at Chancellorsville. 

It was a part of his plan to have Sedgwick, who now commanded the Sixth 
Corps, assault and '^arry the Heights of Fredericksburg, move out on the road 
to Chancellorsville, and strike the rear of Lee's army while he. Hooker, en- 
gaged it in front. For that purpose the Sixth Corps crossed the Rappahannock 
below Fredericksburg, near the old Franklin crossing, on April 29th. and on 
the night of Saturday, May 2d, at 1 a. m., commenced a flank march into 
Fredericksburg. 

Our brigade wa.s honored with the advance and instructed to let nothing im- 
pede the march through the town, over the heights and out on the Chancellors- 
ville road ; an easy order for a general to give, but not easy of execution, in 
the presence of a wide-awake enemy, holding earthworks across your path, an 
effort to take which had already cost fifteen thousand lives. After driving in 
the outposts, in which the Chasseur Regiment, under the lamented Hamblin, 
showed conspicuous gallantry, losing many men and leaving Major Healy on 
the ground mortally wounded, as was supposed, we continued our march until 
the enemy's line of defenses at the foot of Marye's Heights was encountered, 
when, by order of the division commander, the head of the column entered the 
city, leaving one of our regiments, tiie Twenty-third Pennsylvania, deployed in 
the open field facing the never-to-be-forgotten stone wall. When daylight ap- 
peared the men of the Twenty-third found themselves exposed to the enemy's 
fire, and for five long hours, without an opportunity to even make a cup of 
coffee, they maintained this harrassiug position. About 10 o'clock Sunday 
morning the columns and deployed lines were formed by General Newton for 
storming the heights. The column on the extreme right was composed of the 
Sixty-first Pennsylvania and Forty-third New York, of the Light Brigade, 
under the command of Colonel Spear, and was sup^jorted by the Eighty-second 
Pennsylvania and the Sixty-seventh New York, of our brigade, under command 
of the speaker. The Twenty-third Pennsylvania formed a part of the deployed 
line on the left of the second column of attack. The Chasseur Regiment and 
the One hundred and twenty-second New York were directed to follow with 
the rest of our division and join the brigade after the heights had been carried. 

Upon the opening of Newton's batteries both columns debouched from under 
cover, and the deployed lines advanced to the assault. Spear's column on 
the right was enfiladed by batteries stationed in the road at the top of the hill 
and in the works on each side of the road ; rifle-pits at the base of the hill also 
confronted him. The column moved out on the double-quick, but the road 
was narrow and before the column had passed over half the distance it was 



174 Pennsylvania at Getty shurg. 

literally swept away by the iron hail showered upon it. Colonel Spear fell 
mortally wounded. Major Bassett, with the Eighty-s(;cond Pennsylvania, found 
liiniself at the head of the column, and struggled manfully to carry his men 
forward, and finally, encouraged bj' the presence of their brigade commander 
with his two aides, Lieutenants Armstrong and Johnson, rushed forward with 
the Sixty-seventh New York and carried the heights, capturing two pieces of 
the Washington battery of artillery, one officer and a number of men. The 
Twenty-third Penn^^ylvania, in deploj'ed line, Avitli the Fifth Wisconsin, Sixth 
Maine and Thirty-lirst New York, moved gallantly to the charge. An eye-wit- 
ne.ss belonging to the Second Division, in speaking of this line, says, "Four 
more gallant regiments could not be found in the service. Leaving everything 
but guns and ammunition they started forward, encountering a shower of 
bullets, grape and cannister as soon as they rose above a slight knoll. It was 
a noble spectacle and filled our hearts with pride for our brave comrades," 

The brigade was subsequently united and marched out on the road to Chan- 
cellorsville. The enemy's occupation of Salem Heights stopped our advance, 
and in the battle which ensued we took position in an open field to the right of 
the road, which was held until the evening of the 4th, when the whole 
corps recro.ssed the Rappahannock at Banks' Ford and returned to our old 
camps. Throughout this .short campaign the conduct of the officers and men 
of our brigade was everything that could be desired ; and it was through no 
fault of theirs or any other part of the Sixth Corps, that Hooker's first cam- 
paign came to such an inglorious end. 

Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville had so improved the morale of the rebel 
army Avhich had ])een reinforced by two of Longstreet's divisions from the 
James river and a large number of conscripts from Kichmond, that Lee deter- 
mined upon an invasion of the North. This threw the Army of the Potomac 
on the defensive. So, on the 13th of June, Hooker broke up his camp on the 
Ikapi)ahannock and moved northward. The Sixth Corps had, on the 6th of that 
month, again crossed the river at tlie Bernard Hou.se, and for a week observed 
the movements of the rebels who occupied the defenses of Fredericksburg 
Heights, but recrossed and followed the main army on the 14th by forced 
marches until the vicinity of W^ashington was reached. The Potomac river 
was. crossed at Edwards' Ferry on the 26th of June, and the march of the army 
directed on Frederick City. About this .same time differences arose between 
(leneral Halleck at Washington and General Hooker, in relation chiefly to the 
disjiositioii of the forces at Harper's Ferry, and General Hooker asked to be re- 
lieved. General (jeorge G. Meade, then commanding the Fifth Corps, was im- 
mediately placed in command of the army. 

From Frederick City our corps marched to Manchester, whicli would have 
been the extreme right of the army if Meade's line of battle luul been formed 
along Pipe creek, as some suppose he had intended. But events occurred 
which determined Gettysburg to be the ground upon which was to be fought 
the mightiest and most sanguinary battle of modern times. The operations of 
tlie First and Eleventh Corps on Seminary liidge, where Reynolds lost his life, 
on Ihe l.st of July, were important, in that Ihey prevented the rebels from oc- 
cupying the favorable ground u]>on wliich our army was subse(|ueiitly formed 
for Vjattle. 

On the night of the 1st of July our corps was at Manchester thirty-six miles 
away. .\t 9 o'clock in the evening we started for Gettysburg and did not halt 



Pennsylvania at Getty shurg. 175 

for any length of time until we reached Kock creek which crosses the Baltimore 
pike about a mile from here. There we rested and made coffee. Resuming the 
march we moved to the base of Little Hound Top, where the Fift»h Corps was 
stemming the rebel current which had forced back portions of the Third Corps. 
Two of our brigades were immediately thrown forward to the relief of the Fifth 
Corps, while the rest were placed in a line of reserve. Before leaving Man- 
chester, our division commander, General Newton, took leave of us and went 
immediately to the front to assume command of the First Corps in the place of 
General Keynolds, who had been killed that morning, and (Jeneral Wheaton, 
by virtue of his rank assumed command of this division. 

This march of the Sixth Corps, of thirty-six miles in seventeen hours on a 
sultry summer night and morning, is probably tlie most memorable one of the 
war. When we consider the load which a soldier carries on the march, even 
in light marching order, the absence in the field of all comforts which he en- 
joyed at home, and the peril to life and limb which constantly surrounds him, 
we cannot but admire the pluck and courage with which he undertakes the 
most difficult and perilous tasks and honor him for the sacrifices he makes. 

About sunrise on the morning of the 3d, our brigade was ordered to Gulp's 
Hill to aid General Geary of the Twelfth Corps, in retaking the works on the 
extreme right, occupied by the enemy during th(^ previous night. The serious- 
ness of Longstreet's attack upon our left induced General Meade to order rein- 
forcements from General Slocum, commanding on this part of the field, which 
necessitated the evacuation of a part of the line before established. These 
works were seized by the wily enemy, and at daylight our troops undertook to 
dislodge him and drive him back*. 

Upon reporting to General Geary, our l)rigade was formed in the open 
field, just in rear of the line of defenses, in a column of battalions deployed. 
After a personal reconnaissance by General Geary and the brigade commander, 
the One Hundred and twenty-second New York, Colonel Titus commanding, 
was directed to relieve the One Hundred and eleventh Pennsylvania, then occu- 
pying a position in the front line. This position they held for two hours and a 
half under a very severe fire, losing many in killed and wounded, and Avere 
then relieved by the Eighty-second I'ennsylvauia, Colonel Bas.sett. At 9.20 
a. m., the Twenty-third Pennsylvania, Lieutenant-Colonel Glenn commanding, 
was placed in position to support the front line. Three hours later, five 
companies of this regiment, under a galling fire of musketry, were advanced 
into the breastworks and, after silencing the enemy's fire, sent out a line of 
skirmishers, which, however, were promptly recalled, the enemy still being in 
line of battle in close proximity to our works. At 11 a. m. the Sixty- 
seventh New York, Colonel Cross, marched into the breastworks from which 
the enemy were then fieeing, and succeeded in capturing about twenty prison- 
ers. At 11.15 a. m., the Chasseur Regiment (Sixty-fifth New York), Colonel 
Hamblin, occupied a position in support of the Twenty-third Pennsylvania. 
About 3 p. m. all of our regiments were relieved by others belonging to the 
Twelfth Corps. 

Longstreet's attack \\\>()\x our left, and Ewell's attack upon our right had 
both failed ; and now a desperate attempt to pierce our center was to be made. 
As a prelude to the grand assault of Pickett's Division, one hundred and fif- 
teen pieces of artillery opened their murderous fire upon our lines, and were 
responded to by about eighty of our own guns. With the order and steadiness 



176 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

of troops oil parade, Pickett's lines moved out iti view and cunimenoed to ad- 
vance across the open field to a point just south of the Cemetery grounds 
marked by a clump of trees. No sooner was the point of his attack made 
manifest, than every available Union battery was trained upon his columns. 
The carnage which ensued was terrible ; but ou they came, alternately waver- 
ing, staggering, rallying and pressing forward, until the rebel General Armi- 
stead found himself pierced by a rifle shot within our own lines, followed by 
a few hundred of the most fortunate and courageous of his men who became 
2)risoners of Avar. It was while this was being enacted, that our brigade was 
called from this positiou on the right, to traverse the field and report to Gen. 
eral Newton, commanding the First Corps, at the left center, near the point of 
Pickett's assault. After the repulse of this infantry charge, the rebel batteries 
kept up a tantalizing but irregular fire ; and one of the last shots fired lost to 
the Twenty-third Regiment one of its most promising young officers, I^ieuten- 
ant Garsed". A solid shot literally tore him to pieces. Before darkness had 
shrouded the field, the roar of artillery and the rattling of musketry had 
ceased. The great battle of the war had been fonght. The stillness of the 
night was broken only by the groans of the wounded and dying, and the 
rumbling of ammunition and commissary wagons. The losses in both armies 
amounted to about 50,000 men, equal to one-third of all the number engaged. 

The rebel army was now compelled to abandon all the hopes which its scheme 
of invasion had inspired ; and bitter as the alternative was, its retreat was im- 
perative. So, after spending the fourth day in burying the dead and caring 
for the wounded, it silently and sullenly retired from our front on the morn- 
ing of the fifth, and the Si.Kth Corps was sent out on the Fairfield road in pur- 
suit. Lee's rear guard was overtaken in a pass of the South Mountain range, 
but was not pursued beyond it, General Meade having determined to keep his 
army on the east side of that range. It crossed the Potomac at Harper's 
Ferry and Berlin, July 17th and 18th, and moved along the east of Blue Ridge, 
while Lee retreated up the Shenandoah Valley, west of Blue Ridge, and finally' 
encamped in the vicinity of Culpeper Court House. The Army of the Potomac 
went into camp about Warrenton, Virginia. 

In an address which I had the honor of delivering upon these grounds two 
years ago, on tin; occasion of the unveiling of the monument of the Twenty- 
third Pennsylvania Regiment, I took occasion to refer to an injustice which had 
been unintentionally done us in the report of the battle by the army com- 
mander. As the remarks I then made in reference to the Twenty-third Regi- 
ment are applicable to each and all the regiments of our brigade, I (juote them 
verbatim. After speaking a word of praise in behalf of General Doubleday. of 
the First Corps, and General Sickles, of the Third Corps, for the services they 
rendered on the first and second days respectively, I say, "And while claiming 
this special recognition for them, I have a less pleasing, but to you a more im- 
portant duty, to p(;rform, and that is, to demand an official recognition of the 
services, in this battle, of the brigade to which you were attached. The stu- 
dent who in future years peruses the official reix)rts and records iii the War De- 
partment, will there find recorded, over the signature of the commander of the 
Army of the Potomac, that in the battle of Gettysburg Wheaton's Brigade was 
ordered to the right, to aid in driving l)ack the enemy and m retaking the 
works. In other words, the troops of Wheaton's Brigade were credited, in the 
official report of the battle, with the service performed by your brigade. Upon 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 177 

learning of this error, I spoke to General Meade about it, at an army reunion, 
held in Boston nine years after the battle, and he promised to have his rei)ort 
corrected. I spoke also to General Wheaton of the credit he had received at 
another's expense, and of the injustice done the regiments of the First Brigade. 
He promised that he would write to General Meade upon the subject, but I am 
not informed that either of the promises were fulfilled. As our great lamented 
President (Lincoln) said, in commenting upon the battle, 'There was glory 
enough for all. ' No excuse, therefore, can be given for withholding from any 
of the troops engaged the full measure of credit due them, mucli less should 
one organization be glorified at the expense of another. In justice to the 
memory of those brave men whose heroic services you this day commemorate, 
and in justice to you who have been permitted to survive them, and to perform 
this act of soldierly love and friendship, I protest against the wrong which has 
been done. I may be answered that it matters little, so far as the brigade is 
concerned, since the survivors have erected tablets upon one of the grounds 
they occupied in this battle. Is it of no consequence to the relatives and 
friends of tho.se who have died for their country, to their comrades who have 
survived them, to the officers who commanded them, that the official reports 
are silent as to the services of the organization with which they fought and 
died? Nay, more ; that such reports should actually give to another organiza- 
tion credit for services which cost them so many lives? For years and perhaps 
ages to come, the archives of the war will be perused and studied by historians 
and military students in search of material with which to compile history or 
solve military problems ; and must it be said to them, that the records are un- 
reliable — that to ascertain the services of any particular organization of the 
army, a visit must be made to the battle-fields, and the monuments and tablets 
consulted? Such a confession would be humiliating, but it must be made, so 
far as its relates to the services of the First Brigade, Third Division, Sixth 
Corps, in the battle of Gettysburg. And, if I am correctly informed, in refer- 
ence to other organizations also. A greater value attaches, therefore, to the 
testimonials you this day dedicate, than you probablj' anticipated, for it cor- 
rects the record ; more than that, it stands alone as the only record accessible 
to all, that our brigade fought and suftered in this part of the field in the great- 
est battle of the war." 

On the 7th of November following, an advance movement was ordered, 
and the right wing of the army, composed of the Fifth and Sixth Corps under 
the command of General Sedgwick, was moved to a point on the river called 
Rappahannock Station, at which point the enemy occupied a series of earth- 
works on the north side of the river, consisting of two or three redoubts and a 
long line of rifle-pits oi trenches. The approach to these works was over an 
open field, which could be swept by the enemy's guns for a considerable dis- 
tance in every direction, and as the head of our columns debouched from the 
woods to deploy in line of battle, they furnished a si)leudid target for the rebel 
gunners' practice. The scene was grand bej-ond description. When the 
speaker entered the open field, the Fifth and part of the Sixth Corps were al- 
ready in line of battle, with flags flying and bayonets glistening in the sunlight 
of a beautiful autumn day, having the api^earance of troops on dress parade 
rather than formed for deadly conflict. Like Humphreys' tactical movements 
of his division on the field of Getty.sburg, our brigade was closed up and, with- 
out halting, advanced and deployed in the position assigned it, having only the 
12 



178 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

sound ol' the enemy's guns to keep step with. Without delay our brigade was 
ordered to drive in the rebel sharpshooters and secure the possession of a knoll 
in the right and front for the occupation of a battery. This was quickly done, 
and soon after the battery was established, a column of attack was formed from 
the Sixth Corps and put in command of General Russell. Colonel Upton led 
the column with his regiment, and made one of the most brilliant and success-- 
lul charges ever made upon any field. He not only captured the whole line oi" 
works, but with it some sixteen hundred prisoners, six battle-flags and many 
pieces of artiller}' and small arms. His attacking column numbered only fifteen 
hundred. The services of our brigade as well as those of Upton's troops, were' 
made the subject of a complimentary order from corps headquarters. 

The next move of importance was Meade's eflbrt to interpose his army be- 
tween the two wings of Lee's army, and for that purpose directed the various 
corps to cross the Rapidan at diffierent points, the Sixth at Jacobs' Mill Ford, 
which they did on the 27th of November. Our division was ordered to report 
to General Warren, to aid him in outflanking, if possible, the enemy's right. 

Sunday, November 29th. found us in what was then considered a favorable 
position from which to attack, and orders were issued for Warren to do so at 
8 o'clock next morning. But when morning came things were changed. 
Lee had entrenched himself in our front and planted batteries on our left. 
The flankers were outflanked, and Warren's heart failed him. As he told the 
speaker afterwards ''he had not the courage to attack." But he had the 
courage to sacrifice himself rather than his men. He assumed the responsibility 
of suspending the attack, and General Meade subsequently justified him. 
Thus ended the brief winter campaign of Mine Run and we returned to our 
old camps. 

During December, 1863, while in camp at Brandy Station, the Government 
called upon the three-years' men, two years of service having expired, to re-en- 
list for three years from that date or the war. This call was responded to ))y 
the men of our regiments, with remarkable unanimitj' and promptitude, nearly 
two-thirds in the aggregate voluntarily off'ering to continue their services until 
the last rebel laid down his arms. 

In January, 1864, our brigade was ordered to Sandusky, Ohio, to prevent 
an anticipated attempt to liberate the rebel officers confined on Johnson's Island, 
Sandusky Bay, and remained there until the 12th of April, 1864, when brigade 
head(iuarters and three regiments (the Sixty-fifth, Sixty-seventh and One 
Hundred and twenty-second New York) proceeded to rejoin the army at 
Brandy Station. During our absence from the army, the old Third Division 
was disbanded, and we were assigned to the First Division commanded by 
General H. G. Wright, constituting the Fourth Brigade of that division. 

Grant's overland campaign to Richmond began at midnight, the 3d of May. 
Our brigade, or rather the three regiments of it in camp, crossed the Rapidan 
on the 4th in charge of an ammunition train which wa.s parked a short distance 
in rear of the line of Ijattle formed by the Fifth and Sixth Corps in the Wilder- 
ness, and at midnight on the ."ith, moved forward and reported to our division com- 
mander. He a.ssigned us to a position on the extreme right in sujiiwrt of General 
Seymour, Avho commanded the troops at that point. An advance of the liae 
about 8 o'clock in the morning of the 6th, so shortened it that in order to 
retain poasession of a prominence on our flank, our regiments had to be placed 
in the front line, thus presenting to the enemy a single attenuated line where a 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg . 179 

strong, well-snpportert one should have been. Early in the day we were called 
upon to send a regiment a little to the left, to the aid of General Neill's 
Brigade which was being hard pressed. 

The Sixty-seventh New York was sent in, and returned in about an hour, 
having lost about one hundred men in that short time. Much anxiety was felt 
throughout the day for the safety of this flank which was practically in the air, 
guarded only by a skirmish line thrown around the rear, and subsequent events 
justified that anxiety. The attention of corps headquarters was repeatedly called 
to its weakness, but for reasons unknown to the speaker no troops were sent to us, 
and it was an easy matter, therefore, when a brigade ofEwell's Corps, under 
General Gordon, about 6 o'clock in the evening, drove in our skirmishers, to 
also double up our single line of iufantry. A few oflicers and men of each of 
our three regiments were captured, and many killed and wounded. The able- 
bodied who escaped capture, reformed a line along the wood road which crossed 
our line of battle perpendicularly, a few yards to the left. 

The brigade commander in reconnoitering on the borders of this road, with 
more zeal than caution rode into the enemy's lines and was captured. This 
terminated his services with the brigade in which he had served since the or- 
ganization of the army, and to which he had become dearly attached. The 
command of the brigade devolved upon Colonel Nelson Cross, of the Sixty- 
.seventh New York. 

In the successful assaults at Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor, and the defense 
of North Anna, which followed the battle of the Wilderness, its reputation 
was fully sustained. Throughout the trials encountered in the change of base 
to the south side of the James, and the besieging of Petersburg, its patience 
and its power of endurance was manifest ; and when a detached column under 
General Early, early in Juh' again threatened the National Capitol, the confi- 
dence of the army commander in its prowess, and its devotion to the cause, 
secured the transfer of the Sixth Corps to the point of danger. The old resi- 
dents of Washington will never forget with what celerity the rebel general was 
made to retire from the front of the Capitol and subsequently beat an inglorious 
retreat up the Shenandoah Valley, before the war-scarred veterans of the Sixth 
Corps, which, by the celerity of its movements, had become known as Sedg- 
wick's Cavalry. 

After this short campaign we find the brigade back again among its veteran 
comrades of the army, hammering away at the defenses of Petersburg, until 
on Sunday morning, April 2d, the final charge upon the works is made. The 
signal success of the Sixth Corps in this charge, not only carrying the line of 
defense in their front, but sweeping to the left and capturing a long line, thou- 
sands of prisoners and many guns, and subsequently turning to the right again, 
driving everything before it, until the enemy were encircled within their last 
cordon of defenses, was the first of the series of staggering blows which ulti- 
mately determined the fate of the Confederacy. The parallel race with Lee's 
army, which soon followed, gave another proof of its marching qualities. But 
it was at Sailor's creek, a few daj's later, where the fortunes of war gave to the 
Sixth Corps the final opportunity to make still more brilliant its record by 
crushing forever and utterly destroying its ancient antagonist. It is not a little 
remarkable, but the fact is without dispute, that the Sixth Corps was con- 
fronted, in its four years of battling, oftener by Swell's Corps than by any 
other in the rebel army. There seemed, therefore, a providential dispensation 



180 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

in the circumstances which placed it ia the power of the Sixth Corps, at Sailor's 
creek, Virginia, on the 6th of April, 1865, to compel General Ewell and all 
that remained of his corps, to lay down their arras and become prisoners of 
war. The crowning glory of a brilliant record. 

During the period of its services, the integrity of our brigade was preserved 
from beginning to end. While, by reorganizations of the army, and the neces- 
sities of the service, whole corps and divisions were broken up and disbanded, 
our brigade organization continued intact. Regiments were added to it and 
taken from it, indeed, to such an extent that but one of the original regiments 
retained its identity in the brigade until the disbandment of the corps and 
tinal muster out. The Twenty-third Pennsylvania was mustered out at the 
close of the Valley campaign, its re-enlisted men being transferred to the 
Eighty-second Regiment. The Thirty-first Pennsylvania became the Eighty- 
second Pennsylvania. The Sixty-seventh New York was mustered out at the 
end of three years, and the re-enlisted men were transferred to the Sixty-fifth 
New York. The One Hundred and twenty-second New York was not an 
original member, but joined in the summer of 1862, and was transferred to 
Bid well's Brigade of the Second Division, Sixth Corps, in the summer of 1864. 
The Sixty-first Pennsylvania was taken to make up a Light Brigade, and never 
returned to us. The Sixty-fifth New York (First United States Chasseurs, as 
it was called), was, therefore, the only one of all of the original members, 
which retained its identity through four long years of war, and until the final 
disbandment of the army and muster out. It is said that this was the last 
regiment of the Army of the Potomac mustered out. 

Upon the muster out of the Sixty-seventh New York, Colonel Cross retired 
from the service, and the command of the brigade devolved upon Colonel Joe 
E. Hambliu, of the Si.xty-fifth New York, than whom a more gallant and faith- 
ful officer could not be tound in the service. 

In this hastily prepared and imperfect record of the services of our brigade, 
it may be considered not improper to speak of the qualities of some of the 
colonels of the regiments which composed it. It is a matter of historical re- 
cord, which may be alluded to here, without disparagement to others. Most 
of them showed a capacity and talent for military service which sooner or later 
secured for them deserved promotion. Colonel David B. Birney, of the Twenty- 
third Pennsylvania, was made brigadier-general and major-general of volun- 
teers. Colonel Thomas II. Neill, of the same regiment, was made l)rigadier- 
general and brevet major-general. Colonel John Ely, also of the same regi- 
ment, was made a brevet brigadier-general and brevet major-general. Colonel 
Nelson Cross, of the Sixty-seventh New York, was made brevet brigadier- 
general and brevet major-general. Colonel John Cochrane, of the Sixtj-fifth 
New York, was made brigadier-general. Colonel Alexander Shaler and Colonel 
Joe E. Ilamblin, of the same regiment, were made brigadier-generals and 
brevet major-generals of volunteers. 

Having through the fortunes of war been separated from tin* brigade during 
the last year of its service, a period in which promotions would hv most likely* 
to occur, I have referred to those only of which I have personal knowledge. 
No brigade in the army was more fortunate in the quality of its officers ; and, 
very many, too many to refer to here by name, were, for their superior talent and 
ability, for their gallant conduct, and for long and faithful services, promoted to 
higher grades, detailed to staff duty, and assigned to other special and honor- 
able services. 



Pennsylvania at Getiijshurg. 181 

The ease of Lieutenaut-Coloiiel Dwight, of the One Hundred and twenty- 
second New York, was one of unrewarded merit. He gaUautly commanded 
the regiment in nearly all its battles, and until it was reduced below the 
number for which a colonel could be mustered, and was finally killed in front 
of Petersburg, without having received the promotion which he had repeatedly 
earned and was justly entitled to. 

The brigade was equally fortunate in the composition of its stall', Cajytaiu 
William P. Roome, assistant adjutant-general ; Captain Samuel Truesdell, 
assistant inspector-general ; Captain George W. P'ord, assistant quartermaster, 
and Captain Nat. EUmaker, commissary of subsistence, were all officers of the 
highest qualities, possessing especial fitness lor tlieir respective positions. They 
served throughout with unsurpassed zeal and faithfulness, and retired honored 
and respected b}' all with whom they had intercourse. 

To commemorate the services of this noble body of men upon this field ol 
battle, and to dedicate memorials to their fallen comrades we have met to-day. 
In looking back, visions pass before us like a dream. We see the demon ol 
war with haughty mien uplift his arm to assail our national existence. Rebel- 
lious hordes are marshalled for unholy conquest. With rajiid strides and swift 
approaches the swelling ranks besiege our capital. Indignant loyalty with 
glaring astonishment nerves herself for defense. Liberty is fettered and af- 
frighted peace seeks safety in flight. 

To arms ! to arms ! the people cry, 
The danger to our Capital is nigh. 

With sentiments akin to filial love, the masses with one accord uprise and 
bid defiance. The conflict rages. Death, devastation and destruction revel. 
Gloom and .sorrow prevail. Portentous clouds of darkness envelop us. Evil 
spirits, with hellish intent, pursue unchallenged their damnable ways. The 
angels mourn, and all nature in darkness weeps. But see, a silver lining ap- 
pears. Peering with hopeful aspect, Peace, with olive branch extended, seeks 
audience. In the distance seething masses of armed men struggle for mastery. 
With diminished force rebellion aims her blows, and finally sinks to rise no 
more. Victory perches on Loyalty's crest. Homeward turns the Spartan band, 
heroes all ! Halos of glory illumine the sky. Loved ones meet in joyous 
ecstacy. Libert}- and peace have resumed their places. The dream has pa.ssed, 
but stern reality bids us inquire, where is father, brother and sou? In yonder 
graves they lie, victims of disloyalty and martyrs for their country. Let us 
keep their memories green, and each recurring year cover them with immor- 
telles and sweet-scented flowers. And let us not forget the living heroes. 
Let us remember that to them we are indebted for the blessings of peace and 
prosperity which our re-united country now enjoys. Let us remember that the 
" stars on our banner grew suddenly dim," and that it was the jirivate soldier 
who restored to them their luster, and palsied the hand which attempted their 
obliteration. While our children are taught to revere that emblem of unity 
and strength, let them also be taught the danger of assailing it. Teach them 
to honor its defenders, and if in after time it should again be threatened, let 
them emulate the patriotic example .set by their fathers on this hallowed spot. 



182 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

26™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

ADDRESS OF PRIVATE THOMAS V. COOPER, Co. C 

C'>OMRADES and survivors of Twenty -sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers : 
We are gathered here upon an occasion made doubly patriotic by the 
/ law and the pride of our State to perform a most patriotic work — to 
dedicate a monument to the valor of our dead comrades and the heroism 
of a regiment which was the first of the three-year organizations, and which, if 
patriotism can be measured, first saw that the war for the Union meant con- 
tinued hardship, sacrifice and bravery. Almost its entire membership came 
from Philadelphia and the adjoining county of Delaware. The record of its 
intentions stands out as the grandest, in its example to the other long-term 
commands which quickly followed. The record of its deeds is synonymous 
with that of the Army of the Potomac, save at Gettysburg, the greatest battle 
known to modern history, and here it excelled all other Pennsylvania regiments 
in its losses in killed and wounded, in proportion to the number engaged, and 
the losses of the Pennsylvania commands excelled those of any other in the 
Union Army. You all remember how, during the long march through Virginia 
and Marjiand to the battle-field, at the nightly bivouacs every element of State 
pride and likewise every feature of National love were summoned to support 
the universal proposition that there would be no recession upon Northern soil. 

History records the fact that there was none, and it is within the personal 
knowledge of all the survivors of the Twenty-sixth that the Third Corps, to 
the last man, stood its ground, and even refused to fall back, when the fight of 
the evening of the second day was hottest, to ground suited to the alignment 
sought by General Meade, and not until the shades of night had fallen and 
the battle had lulled, and an understanding of the situation had been gathered, 
did it do so. 

Gettysburg was the deadliest of the great battles of modern history, and for 
an organization like our own to .stand out as the one losing most in actual 
battle, is a distinction which the surviving members cannot forget while mem- 
ory of the struggle lasts. 

It is understood that those chosen to deliver the orations peculiar to this day, 
shall confine themselves to a brief desciiption of the part played by the com- 
mand immediately before and during the battle — this with a view to enable 
the Memorial Association to compile detailed historical information. 

All of our comrades who participated recall the march on June 11th, 1863, 
to Hartwood Church, over the familiar lines of the Rappahannock ; thence, on 
the 12th, to Bealeton, with Humphreys' division (Hooker's old and our own), 
advanced to the river, where we heard Ijy our campfires the stories of skirm- 
ishes at Newtown, Cedarville and Middletown. 

On the 14th our march from Bealeton to Manassas is remembered as one of 
the hottest, many of the division and corps falling from sunstroke, so that 
when night came the losses, if they had been compiled, would have held com- 
parison with a battle. At Manassas we had to rest until the partially disabled 





HOTO. BY W, H. TIPTON, GETTYSBURG. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 183 

recovered, and on the 17th we moved qnietly to Ccnterville, over ground made 
femiliar by the battles of Bristoo and Bull Ix'uu of the previous year. At 
Centerville we could hear the clash of arms at Aldie, and the next morning 
received the news of skirmishes in our front at the Point of Rocks, Thorough- 
fare Gap and iliddleburg. On the 19th we moved to Gum Springs, where we 
remained until the 25th, then crossed the Potomac upon pontoons at Edwards' 
Ferry, and there began the unprecedented forced march over the long tow-path 
to the mouth of the Monocacy. No man who participated in that march can 
ever forget the driving rain, the slippery and narrow patliway, with water to 
the right of us, water to the left of us, water above, water below — without 
opportunity to halt, or rest, or eat, or drink, until the late hours of night found 
us at our destination. On the 26th we reached tlie Point of Rocks, the 27th 
Middletown, while on the 28th we rested near Woodsboro, with news of skir- 
mishe? near Rockville, Marjdand, and at Wrightsville and Oyster Point, Penn- 
sylvania — where blood was flowing upon the soil regarded as peculiarly' our 
own. The 29th saw us at Taneytown, the 30th at Bridgeport, with ever-com- 
ing news of skirmishes and actions on front and flank. On July 1st we moved 
from Bridgeport via Emmitsburg to the field of battle, and while our gallant 
First Brigade was en route, late in the night, with the Twenty-sixth at the 
head of the column, we marched into the Confederate lines near the Black 
Horse Tavern, quietly gathered in the only picket jiost in sight, about-faced in 
majestic silence, and resumed the right road to Gettysburg, in time to assume 
our place upon the second day of the battle. In fact we arrived at the mid- 
night closing the first and opening the second day, and, after what proved but a 
nap, our command was awakened, cooked all the cofiee and ate the few crackers 
that remained of our rations, then stacked arms, deployed as unarmed skir- 
mishers, and tore down the fences between the Baltimore pike and the Em- 
mitsburg road — a novel proceeding, but a fit precursory to the slaughter which 
followed. About 3 p. m., our Third Corps moved to the front, with our brigade 
at the celebrated Peach Orchard, and our regiment covering the right flank of 
the division, separated from Hancock's Second Corps by a gap which proved 
inviting to the enemy, for here immediate and repeated attempts were made 
to pierce our lines by bold dashes and charges. All of them were resisted, and 
but one came near accomplishing its destructive purpose. This was late in the 
evening, when a large rebel force, covered by smoke of the guns, quickly 
crossed the Emmitsburg road, and protected by the depression at the right of 
the little and now demolished stone house which flanked the Peach Orchard, 
with sudden rush and yell, plunged it-self upon our already depleted ranks. 
Then the Twenty-sixth and the First Massachusetts, our gallant Yankee com- 
panions upon many battle-fields, obeyed the order of Colonel Blaisdell and Ma- 
jor Bodine, and changed direction by the right flank, in the very face of over- 
powering numbers. In this way the charge was checked, and the enemy were 
kept closely engaged until a division from the Second Corps came to our relief 
and saved the line. This struggle was the most deadly of the .day and of the 
entire battle, and as well of any battle known to the war. Its terrific force is 
seen in the unprecedented numbers of killed and wounded, and the high cour- 
age of the Twenty-sixth is shown by the fact that no man ran, and but seven 
were captured and missing out of two hundred and thirteen lost in a total 
number of three hundred and sixty-five engaged. In the repeated charges of 
the second day nearly two out of every three of our regiment engaged, fell 



184 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

with a greatly sitperior number of the enemy close about them — and what few 
remained held their ground. These frightful losses were largely due to the 
heroic change of direction made by the two regiments named, while under fire 
and at close quarters — the most difficult movement known to military tactics, 
and the one above all others calling for quick intelligence and high courage. 

Patriotic comparisons are not odious, as every soldier realizes in talks of the 
war with surviving comrades. Each and every man loves to tell his story of 
daring, and as fondly loves to hear a better one from his comrade. And none 
of the seventy-eight commands of Pennsylvania, which this day dedicate 
monuments in honor of their fallen heroes, will deem odious the comparison 
which history hands down as to the brave deeds and the unexampled sacrifice 
of the Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania in the battle of Gettysburg. Rothermel's 
great painting selects the charge of Pickett's Division and the stone angle 
guarded by the Second Corps under Hancock, as the dramatic point of the 
struggle, and it was upon the third day, but neither this point nor Little Round 
Top, nor Gulp's Hill, nor Buford's famous dismounted men, stood a shock like 
that hurled against Humphreys' Division of the Third Gorps, and especially 
against our First Brigade, and even more particularly against the Twenty-sixth 
Pennsylvania, which held the right of the line. Onlj'*the One hundred and 
twenty-fourth, One hundred and fortieth and Seventy-second Pennsylvania, 
and the One hundred and eleventh and One hundred and twenty-sixth New 
York in Hancock's Second Gorps, approached the losses of the Twenty-sixth 
Pennsylvania, and a truthful history will .show that the valor and sacrifice at 
and near the Peach Orchard eqiialed any ever known to the world upon any 
battle-field. 

The One hundred and twenty-first. One hundred and forty-second, On6 
hundred and fifty-first, One hundred and forty-third, One hundred and forty- 
ninth and One hundred and fiftieth Pennsylvania Regiments were all of the 
First Army Gurps, and the losses of these regiments, while very great, were 
not so great in killed and wounded, in proportion to the number engaged, as the 
Twenty-sixth, and yet tho.se which I have named suffered more than any other 
portion of the Union Army. They were not the subject of any painting, but if 
patriotic blood, shed upon this field, were needed to color the canvas, the great 
supply would come from them, our Pennsylvania commands, and if reasons were 
asked for this wonderful heroism, they would be found in the determination of 
our Keystone boys not to take one step backward upon their native soil. 

When night had fallen upon the second day our corps obeyed the command 
to fall back and straighten the line. The orators of several anniversaries here, 
and the military critics have given much discussion to the position of the Third 
Corps in the battle, being advanced in the shape of a horse-.shoe much beyond 
the main line. It is not necessary that we should enter into or enlarge upon 
this discussion. It is sufficient for us to know that one fact rises upon all 
criticism ; while our losses were great, we gave as great to the enemy, and 
weakened them for the third and final day. 

On the second and third days our division lost two thousand one hundred 
out of four thousand nine hundred, far the greater portion of the losses occur- 
ing in the scenes here so crudely described. The Twenty-sixth lost few on the 
third day, and most of these by the explosion of a caisson at a time when the 
bowels of the earth seemed to be shaken by the noise of the two hundred and 
forty guns on each side which were then ushering in the final and fatal charge 
of Pickett's Division. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysbu7'g. 185 

I need not describe what followed the great battle — the burial of the dead, 
the rest, the pursuit and finally the unharmed traversing some of the old ground 
in Virginia. The old but ever new story of the greatest event known to the 
lives of all the surviving members of the Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania, is now 
retold, in a too general and too feeble way, but some of the points mentioned 
will awaken in your minds a fresh recollection of the day, of its sacrifice and 
of its glorious results. Let me recall an incident in closing. On the evening 
of the second day, with a view to excite the hopes and enthusiasm of our troops, 
telegrams were read to us announcing Grant's capture of Vicksburg, and the 
cheers were loud and long. The news was premature, but two days afterward 
it came in full truth, and it was Vicksburg and Gettysburg which made inevi- 
ta.ble the triumph of the Union. All, after these battles, was but useless sacri- 
fice, which came through the lack of discernment or stubbornness of the head of 
the Confederacy. 

More than a quarter of a century has passed since the battle we are here to 
commemorate. None of us can ever see its like again If each and all could 
find the elixir of youth, and carry his life down the coming centuries, he could 
not again see the like of Gettysburg in civilized warfare. The inventions since 
made in deadly explosives — in dynamite, millenite, structite — explosives which 
are a thousand-fold greater than any which deafened our ears upon this field, 
where the roar of four hundred and eight}' cannon were heard, and the sharp 
rattle of one hundred thousand rifles— a battle like that of Gettysburg is no 
longer possible. Though effective beyond our power to measure at the time, 
it is well that it is the last of its kind. It served a purpose, now indisputably 
established, and let us hope that it was, to our people at least, the final proof 
of the poet's lines, wherein he says : — 

" Some things are worthless, some so good 
That nations which buy buy only with blood." 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

27'"" REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September 12, 1889 

THE Twenty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, under the com. 
mand of Lieutenant-Colonel Cantador, arrived at Getty.sburg, July 1, 
1863, about noon. The regiment was at once ordered to advance from 
Cemetery Hill to the north of the town, to support the First Army 
Corps, General Reynolds having been killed, and his men overpowered by the 
enemy were falling back. This regiment became engaged by the enemy as soon 
as the line of battle was formed, but being greatly outnumbered was also com- 
pelled to fall back to Cemetery Hill. The regiment sustained severe loss in 
this movement. 

July 2d, about 9 p. m., the batteries on East Cemetery Hill were attacked by 
the enemy, and this regiment took a prominent part in repelling this charge. 
July 3d the regiment held the position on Cemetery Hill until ordered to sup- 
port .some troops in distress about 3 p. m. This regiment was also e.x posed to 
the terrible artillery fire that afternoon. It was one of the first battalions to 
enter Gettysburg, July 4, 1863. 



186 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

The regiment was organized in Philadelphia, Pa., May 5, 1861, by Colonel 
RI. Einstein, and participated in the following general engagements: 

First battle of Bull linn, Virginia, July 21, 1861. Cross Keys, Virginia, 
June 8, 1862. Chancellorsville, Virginia, May 2, 1863. Gettysburg, July, 
2 and 3. After the battle of Gettysburg the regiment was transferred to the 
West, where it took part at the battle of Lookout Alouutain and Missionary 
Ridge, Tennessee, November 25, 1863. After this battle the regiment took part 
in the march to Knoxville. Tennessee, to relieve General Bumside, then re- 
turned to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and went into winter quarters at Lookout 
Valley, Tennessee. 

When General W. T. Sherman marched his column south, the regiment 
joined in his command and took part in the battle of Buzzard Roost, Georgia, 
May 8, 1864, Resaca and Dug Gap, Georgia, May 12, 1864. At Dallas, 
Georgia, the term of the regiment expired and the regiment received transpor- 
tation to return home, and Avas mustered out of the service at Philadelphia, 
Pa., on the 11th day of June, 1864. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

28™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September nth, 1889 
ADDRESS OF BREVET CAPTAIN JOHN O. FOERING 

COMRADES of the Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry : 
We are assembled here to-day to dedicate this monument, which is to 
mark the position occupied by the regiment in that historic battle, 
which took place on the 1st, 2d and 3d of July. 1863, and we trust that 
the memory of our comrades, who fell on this spot, may be perpetuated so long 
as this granite shall endure the washings of the storms. 

So much has been said and written by many able minds in the past quarter 
of a century of the part taken by the diflerent corps, divisions, brigades, regi- 
ments and batteries that participated in the great .struggle, that I fear any- 
thing I may say at this time may appear superfluous, but you all know that we 
cannot but feel a certain amount of pride in the part taken by our own com- 
mand in the battle which has justly been acknowledged to have been the turn- 
ing point of the rebellion, and it is well that an opportunity is here given to 
place on record the history ot the marches and incidents of our regiment's con- 
nection with the army in that campaign, which I will endeavor to give you as 
brieily as possible. The Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer In- 
fantry was attached to "Candy's" First Brigade, ''Geary's" Second Division, 
"Slocnni's" Twelfth Corps from the lime of leaving Aquia Creek until its re- 
turn to the Rapidan. 

Early in June, 1863, while the Army of the Potomac was in camp in the 
vicinity of Stafford Court House and Fredericksburg, recuperating from the losses 
of the Chancellorsville campaign. General Lee, commander of the rebel forces, 
concluded upon an aggressive movement. He started his army on forced 
marches to invade Pennsylvania, and endeavored to outflank Hooker, enlist the 
sympathies of the foreign powers to further assist them, and to increase the 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 187 

strength of his army by the accession of a large number of rebel sympathizers 
in Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. How well he succeeded in this is a 
matter of history. 

He was successful in moving past our right flauk, and appeared in front of 
Winchester, Va., on the 14th of June, with a large force under the command 
of Generals Early and Longstreet, and they immediately made preparations to 
attack General Milroy, who was in command of the Union forces. Early and 
Longstreet being successful in their attack, capturing a large part of Milroy's 
command and scattering the balance, the valley of the Shenandoah was open 
for Lee's Army of Invasion. 

Lee having outwitted General Hooker, and having a good start, our army 
was compelled to make long and rapid marches to get within reasonable dis- 
tance of the rebel host. 

On the 13th day of June, Hooker abandoned his position opposite Fredericks- 
burg and east to Aquia Creek, and started the Army of the Potomac on its 
marcli northward. 

The first intimation of anything unusual occurring from the ordinary routine 
of everj"-day camp life was the promulgation of orders, on June l'2th, to hold 
ourselves in readiness to move at a moment's notice. Preparations were made 
at once, and the command was kept in suspense waiting for orders to march 
until the evening of June 13th, when, at 8 o'clock, the order to march was 
given. Leaving camp at Aquia Creek, Stafibrd Court House was reached at 
midnight. Continuing the march via Telegrapli road, crossing the Aquia and 
Chopawamsic creeks, the command was halted at Dumfries at 1 p. m., June 
14th, and bivouacked. Marched twenty miles. 

March resumed on the morning of June 15th, at half-past three o'clock, 
halted at 7 o'clock for breakfast. Reaching Wolf Kun Shoals the command 
halted for rest and dinner. Eesuming the march, we crossed the Occoquan 
creek and reached Fairfax Court House at 8 p. m., and bivouacked. Marched 
twenty-two miles. This march will long be remembered as a very trying one 
by all who participated in it, owing to the extreme heat, dusty roads, very little 
shade along the roads and the great scarcity of water, the water with which the 
men provided themselves soon becoming unfit to drink owing to the intense 
heat. 

On June 16th, the command was moved a short distance and went into regu- 
lar camp. On .June 17th, left Fairfax Court House, and marched to within a 
short distance of Dranesville and bivouacked. Marched eight miles. On June 
18th, at 8 a.m., resumed march, passed through Dranesville, crossed Broad run 
and Goose creek, and encamped near Leesburg. Marched twelve miles. While 
on the march in the afternoon, had a heavy thunder storm, drenching the com- 
mand. On June 19th, at half past ten a. m., the entire Twelfth Corps was 
ordered out for parade, and formed into three sides of a hollow square, to wit- 
ness the execution of three men of the First Division for desertion, a terribly 
.sad sight for a fellow soldier to witness, but a punishment made necessary to 
insure discipline and prevent the depletion of the army. After the men were 
shot, the different commands returned to their respective camps and remained 
there, while General Hooker, with a portion of the army was reconuoitering in 
the vicinity ol Aldie Middlehurg, etc., on the search for Lee and his army. A 
small force of the rebels attracted Hooker's attention in that localit}', while 
Lee with the larger portion of his army was then moving on Chambersburg, 



188 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

Pa., and it was not until June 26tli, at o a. m., that we left camp and started 
again on 'our march northward. It rained hard all daj', making the roads 
almost impassable, and retarding our progress greatly. Crossed the Potomac 
river at Edwards' Ferry on pontoons, ])as.sed through Poolesville, encamping 
at the mouth of the Monocacy. Marched thirteen miles. Regiment posted on 
picket, where it remained until 6 a. m., June 27th, when, with the entire corps, 
resumed the march, en route to Harper's Ferry, to reinforce the garri.son stationed 
there, and, with it, attack the rebel line of communication. (The order for 
this movement was countermanded by the authorities at Washington, and re- 
sulted in the displacement of our much-l)eloved commander. General Hooker, 
and the appointment of (leneral George Gordon Meade to the command of the 
Army of the Potomac.) The command passed through the Point of Rocks, 
crossed the canal and marched via the tow-path to Catoctin, recrossed the canal, 
passed through Petersville and encamped near Knoxville at dark. Marched 
twenty miles. . 

June 28th. " The second anniversary of the muster of the Twenty -eighth 
Pennsylvania Volunteers into the service of the United States." 

Left camp near Knoxville at 6 a. m., passed through Petersville, Slabtown 
and Jefferson, halted at the latter place to permit a brigade of cavalry to pa.s«, 
resumed march and went into camp one mile from Frederick. Marched 
thirteen miles. 

At 5 a. m., June 29th, resumed march, and marched through heavy rains 
and over bad roads, passing through Frederick, Walkersville, Woodsborough, 
Ladiesville and Bruceville, encamped near the latter place. Marched twenty- 
four miles. At half past seven a. m., on June 30th the march was resumed, and 
on quick time, passed through Taneytown. On crossing the State line you all re- 
member with what glad hearts you pressed your feet on Pennsylvania soil, and 
the huzzas that were sent up as each command entered the State, and how light 
the step that gave outward signs of your eagerness to meet Lee's forces and de- 
feat him on j'our native ground, and one of his own choosing, for had he not 
left his own State and dared you to follow and give him battle. How little he 
knew that the Potomac veterans were so close on him at that time. On reach- 
ing the outskirts of Littlestown, Pa., we were halted in the road to permit 
Knap's Pennsylvania Battery to pass, they having been ordered up on the double- 
quick to assist the cavalry, who were engaged with the enemy near Hanover. 
Our forces were successful there and drove the enemy some distance beyond 
Hanover. The residents of Littlestown received us very kindly, giving us plenty 
to eat, and supplied us with good clear cold water to quench our thirst, and 
will ever be remembered for their kindness. Passed through the town and en- 
camped one and one-half miles beyond. ISIarched thirteen miles. 

At 5 a. m. on July 1st, we left camp, marching through Littlestown and via 
the Baltimore pike to near Two Taverns where we halted, by reason of the pike 
being blockaded by the artillery and supply-trains of the troops preceding. 
The sound of battle could be distinctly heard in advance of our position, and 
with what suspense we anxiously awaited the news from the front. At 2 
p. ra. orders were received to move forward, and l)y as rapid marching as the 
blockaded roads would permit, we reached the scene of action at 1 p. m. and 
formed in line of battle to the left of the pike a short distance and immediately 
in the rear of Cemetery Hill in support of the Eleventh Army Corps, who had 
fallen back to this position earlier in the day. It was a night of fears and doubts, 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 189 

little il any information could beobtainel as to the results of the day's battle, 
the silence of every one, was, if anything, conliriuatory of a reverse, the knowl- 
edge of severe loss of life and apparent retirement of our forces led us to fear 
somewhat the coming of the morrow. Marched eleven miles. 

The regiment remained in this position until 8 a. m., July 2d, when we 
were moved with the corps to the right of the pike, ordered into line of battle 
on this "Gulp's Hill," facing Itock creek, thus forming the extreme right of 
the line of battle. 

In connection with our taking possession of Gulp's Hill and forming line of 
battle here, I will here in.sert an extract from an address read before the His- 
torical Society of Pennsylvania. March 8, 1880, by Brevet Brigadier-General 
J. Wm. Hofmaun, Golonel Fifty-si.\-th Pennsylvania Volunteers, commanding 
Second Brigade, First Division, First Army Gorps, whose command joined our 
left on the summit of Gulp's Hill. 

" The Seventh Indiana of our brigade, detached in the morning for special 
duty, as I have stated, and not engaged in conflicts with the enemy, rejoined 
us as we were re-forming in the cemetery, and being in compact organization, it 
was sent at once to form a line on Gulp's Hill, Major Glover, its commanding 
officer, established a line from the pinnacle down to the foot of the eastern slojie 
and his on way back to the center, encountered and captured a scout of the enemy 
who had cros.sed the hill before the line was established and was on his way back 
when captured with the report that the hill was not occupied by our troops. 
Grover's line of pickets was soon reinforced into a line of battle. It has always 
seemed to me that without Gulp's Hill in our possession, we could never have 
held our line on Gemetery Ridge on the second and third days of the battle." 

This I cite to show the importance of the taking j>ossession of, and the sub- 
sequent action of the troops who so gloriously defended this part of the field 
from the terrible onslaughts of the enemy. 

The Twenty-eighth in about an hour after reaching Gulp's Hill was ordered 
forward, deployed as skirmishers along Rock creek, immediately in front of 
this position. We remained there exchanging shots with the enemy, who were 
in large force on the opposite side of the creek, until about 7 p. m. when 
General Geary received orders to move his command to the left of the line of 
battle, in support of the Third Gorps at Round Top. The Twenty-eighth, Avith 
the First and Second Brigades of " Geary's " Second Division left the position, 
Gulp's Hill, which we had occcpied all day, leaving the Third, Greene's Brigade, 
to cover the front occupied by the entire Twelfth Corps. In moving over to 
the Baltimore pike, we were obliged to cross the " swale " between our works 
and the pike, and were exposed to an annoying artillery cross-fire from the 
enemy, sutfering to some extent in loss of men. 

Early in the night, while we were absent. General Ewell, commanding the 
rebel force in front of Gulp's Hill, made an attack on the position vacated by 
us, and history records how the enemy found a portion of our works deserted, 
and exultant beyond measure. They thought victoiy was theirs, but they 
counted without their host. Old Pop Greene, with his gallant Third Brigade 
of "Geary's" Second Division was there and opened fire, making it very warm 
for them, and checking their advance in short order. The fight was short, 
sharp and decisive, the loss was severe on both sides, and it can safely be said, 
that had "Greene ' and his gallant little band Ijeen defeated in this action, the 
battle of Gettvsburg might not have been the glorious victory it was for our 



190 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

arms. The euciiiy although gaining a slight foothold in occupying a portion of 
the works vacated by us, were not aware that they held the kej' to our artil- 
lery and ammunition reserve, which was parked only a short distance from 
them, and should they have captured or destroyed this, our army Avould in all 
probability have been defeated. By some misconstruction of orders or the in- 
competency of the guide sent to pilot General Geary to his position at Round 
Top, the Twenty-eighth and a large portion of the division never reached therci 
and were kept on the move all night. The men were weary with the inces.sant 
marching and loss of sleep, and it was not until near daylight of July M that 
the command came to a halt, when we lound ourselves immediately in rear of 
the position on Gulp's Hill, occupied on the 2d instant. General Geary having 
ascertained that the enemy was in possession of a portion of our works, made 
good disposition of his force, and at early dawn gave orders for the First and 
Second Brigades of his division to advance. With a hearty cheer, the wearers 
of the "White Star" rushed gallantly forward to the charge, and in much less 
time than it takes me to relate the incident, the enemy were driven beyond 
Rock creek, and the vacated works were again in our po.ssession. The lo.ss of 
the enemy was heavy, whilst ours was comparatively small. The Second Bri- 
gade, "Kane's," were then distributed in the works. At about 7 a. m., the 
Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania was ordered forward and relieved the Twenty- 
ninth Ohio Infantry. Comrades, you ■will never forget what it meant to relieve 
a regiment deployed in the temporary works that were so rudely constructed 
of cord wood, stones, etc., on the lower side of the knoll on which we now 
stand. The rebel sharpshooters were perched on and behind the immense rocks 
and boulders that still remain in the immediate front of our position ; how as 
each command was relieved, the incoming and outgoing troops were subjected 
to a withering and well-directed fire from their skilled marksmen, ever}' shot 
from their guns made to do its deadly work ; and liow. when we were safely 
located in the works, we watched for the pufis of smoke from their rifles ; how 
quick we were to reply, with what etfect the large number of dead men and 
empty-handed rifles left behind in their retreat told the sorrowful tale. When 
once in the works it was much safer to remain, but the constant firing made it 
necessary for the troops to be relieved to clean their guns and replenish their 
supply of ammunition. It may not be amiss to mention here that on page 770 
of the "preliminary print of the official records of the War of the Rebellion," 
it is recorded that "General Meade complained to General Slocum that Gen- 
eral Geary was expending too much ammunition at this point, but upon inves- 
tigation, he. General Slocum, was .satisfied to the contrary." 

The enemy made several onslaughts which were pushed with great determi- 
nation, and it showed how grand a prize this portion of the field would have 
been to them. Each time their desperate charges came to naught, they were 
hurled back with terrible loss, only to be ordered forward again and again to 
meet the same fate. Brave men, they deserved better success for their un- 
daunted courage. 

At about half past eleven a. m., the Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania, liaving ex- 
hausted its ammunition (eighty rounds i)er man), Avas relieved by a New York 
legiment of "Greene's" Third Brigade, and moved to an orchard in the rear 
of Gulp's Hill on the pike, to clean tlieir guns and replenish ammunition. We 
had been in this position but a short time when the enemy's artillery opened 
tire on our forces stationed on Cemetery Hill. Then and there was inaugurated 



Pennsylvania at Getigshurg. 19l 

one of the most terrible artillery duels in the world's history. As the fight 
progressed our positiou (which was immediately in the rear of Cemetery Hill) 
became untenable, as the shot and sliell fell thick and last amongst and around 
us, unnecessarily exposing us to great danger. General Geary being advised of 
our dangerous position, gave OKlers tor us to move across the pike behind a 
large stone barn. Remained there until about 3 p. m., more or less exposed 
to the same artillery fire, when we were ordered to resume our former position 
in the works on Gulp's Hill, relieving the Seventh Ohio Infantry. Remained 
in the works, keeping up a constant fire on the sharpshooters perched on and be- 
hind the rocks in our front, until about 9 p. m., when the enemy made their 
final assault. They were soon repulsed and the firing almost ceased for the 
night. Shortly after the assault the Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania was relieved 
from the works for the purpose of receiving rations. At midnight we returned 
to the works, relieving the Sixtieth and Seventy-eighth New York Volunteers 
of "Greene's" Third Brigade. There was very little firing in our front after 
midnight. The night was dark, and a heavy rain falling, every one of us being 
drenched to the skin, just such a night as would enable an enemy to get out of 
the \\a.y without being disturbed, which to our surprise was the case when the 
morning of July 4th dawned upon us. The enemy having fled, left us in undis- 
turbed possession of the field and the victory was ours, but how dearly bought. 
How many good and brave men on both sides gone forever from comradeship 
and companionship, from fireside never to return. How many loved ones at 
homes waiting anxiously to hear from the thousands on both sides who will 
never return. It makes one almost .shudder at the thought of the misery caused 
by the instigators of that cruel war. 

When it was ascertained to a certainty that the enemy had fled, we proceeded 
to the front of our works, and details were immediately set to work burying the 
dead. Some twelve hundred of the enemy's dead were found in front of the 
Second Division work.s, of which the division details buried near nine hundred; 
their loss in wounded also must have been very heavy, as the number of 
muskets left by them on the field on our front was very large. The ordnance 
officer of the First Division, Twelfth Corps, reports having collected eight hun- 
dred and four muskets and the ordnance officer of the Second Division, Twelfth 
Corps, reports collecting sixteen hundred and eighty muskets in addition to a 
large number of bayonets, etc. The Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania alone carried 
to the rear of our works over five hundred muskets. Our men being very 
much fatigued, having been without sleep for three nights, and soaked with 
the heavy rain of the night of the third, and having assisted in burying the dead, 
rested the balance of the day and prepared ourselves to be in reatliness to start 
in pursuit of the enemj' when ordered. 

It has always seemed to me, and I think I will be endorsed in my opinion, 
when the true and just hi.story of this battle shall have been written, that the 
importance of the victory of the troops of the Twelfth Corps, especially the part 
taken by " Geary's " Second Division, has never received the recognition and 
publicity it deserved. Everything that was done here and on some other points 
of the field as gallantly defended, have been overshadowed by the prominence 
given the painting representing Pickett's charge. Without Culji's Hill in our 
possession, Pickett's charge would never have taken jilace, as the position on 
Cemetery Hill would have been untenable for our troops. At no portion of the 
field were the troops under a more constant or murderous fire than on Gulp's 



192 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

Hill. For seven hours we were under constant fire, and at no point, uor at any 
time, did the line waver. The gallant Second Division, assisted by Shaler's 
Brigade and the Maryland Provisional Brigade, hy their dauntless courage 
did much towards saving the Army of the Potomac from defeat. I do not want 
to detract anything from the heroism or valor of the troops of the Second Corps, 
as they were all gallant and true, but so much stress has been laid on their par- 
ticular action, on the afternoon of the third, that the part taken by other troops 
equally deserving has not had that credit given which is their due. 

When our eyes glance upward as we look at this monument, which we dedi- 
cate this day to the memory of onr departed comrades, we behold the emblem 
" the star " under which we stood shoulder to shoulder on the march and on 
the battle-fields of so many States. I cannot refrain from inserting here some ex- 
tracts taken here from a work recently published by Colonel Wm. F. Fox, on 
the regimental losses during the war of the rebellion, which in a great measure 
atones for the shortcomings of some of the previous authors of war history and 
endeavors to deal justly with the part taken by the different commands in this 
battle. He writes: "The Twelfth Army Corps," "Winchester, "Port Re- 
public," "Cedar Mountain," "Manassas," "Antietam," Chaneellorsville, " 
"Gettysburg," Wauhatchie," "Lookout Mountain." "Missionary Ridge," 
"Ringgold." 

"The corps that never lost a color or a gun. When its designation was 
chansred to the Twentieth it still preserved unbroken the same grand record. 
The veteran divisions of Williams and Geary wore their star badges through 
all the bloody battles of the Atlanta campaign and the Carolinas, and still kept 
their proud claim good, marching northward to the grand review with the same 
banners that had waved at Antietam and Lookout Mountain ; with the same 
cannon which had thundered on the l)attle-fields of seven States ; none were 
missing. 

"The brunt of the battle of Chaneellorsville fell on the Third and Twelfth 
Corps, and yet amid all the rout and confusion of that disastrous battle the 
regiments of the Twelfth Corps moved steadily with unbroken fronts, retiring 
at the close of the battle without the loss of a color ; wiiile the Corps artillery^, 
after having been engaged in the close fighting at the Chaneellorsville House, 
withdrew in good order, taking every gun with them. In this campaign Slo- 
cum's troops were the first to cross the Rapidan, and the last to recross the 
Rappahannock. Its losses at Chaneellorsville were two hundred and sixty 
killed, one thousand four hundred and thirty-six wounded and one thousand 
one hundred and eighteen missing ; total, two thousand eight hundred and 
fourteen. The hardest fighting and heaviest losses fell on Ruger's and Candy's 
Brigades of Williams' and Geary's Divisions." 

"At Gettysburg, the Twelfth Corps distinguished itself by its gallant de- 
fense of Gulp's Hill. At one time during the battle, the corps having been 
ordered to reinforce a distant part of the line, Greene's Brigade of Geary's 
Division was left behind to hold this important point. While occupying this 
position, with no other troops in support, Greene w.as attacked by Johnson's 
Division, but the attack was successfully repul.sed. The details of this particu- 
lar action form an interesting chapter in the history of the war. Still, some 
of .Johnson's troops effected, without opposition, a lodgement in the vacated 
breastworks of the Twelfth Corps, and uixjn the return of tho.se troops a des. 
jjerate battle ensued to drive the Confederates out. After a long, hard light 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 193 

the corps succeeded in reoccupying its works. On no part of the fiekl did the 
Confederate dead lie thicker than in front of the Twelfth Corps position. 

" Johnson's Divi.sion, containing twenty-two regiments, official report, lost in 
this particular action, two hundred and twenty-nine killed, one thousand two 
hundred and sixty-nine wounded and three hundred and seventy-five missing; 
total, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-three. To this loss (of John- 
son's) must be added the losses in Smith's, Daniel's and O'Neal's Brigades, 
containing fourteen regiments, which were sent to Johnson's support, which 
was two hundred and twenty-nine killed, one thousand and sixty-nine wounded 
and two hundred and forty-seven missing. Making a total loss in the rebel 
forces attacking Culp's Hill of four hundreil and lilty-eight killed, two thou- 
sand three hundred and thirty-eight wounded and six hundred and twenty-two 
missing ; total loss, three thou.sand four hundred and eighteen. Pickett's Divi- 
sion, official report, lost in front of Cemetery Ridge, two hundred and thirty- 
two killed, one thou.sand one hundred and fifty-seven wounded and one thou- 
sand four hundred and ninety-nine missing ; total, two thousand eight hundred 
and eighty-eight. 

"The Twelfth Corps, containing twenty-eight regiments, lost two hundred and 
four killed, eight hundred and ten wounded and sixty-seven missing ; total, one 
thousand and eighty-one." Less than one-third the rebel lo.ss. 

The Twelfth Corps was small, but was composed of excellent material. 
Among its regiments were the Second Massachusetts, Seventh Ohio, Fifth Con- 
necticut, One hundred and seventh New York, Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania. 
Third Wisconsin and others equally famous as crack regiments, all of them 
with names familiar as household words in the communities from which they 
were recruited. 

On page 426, in the same work, referring to his statements giving the list of 
commands .showing the greatest losses in battles, Colonel Fox says : "Among 
the leading regiments in jx)int of lo.ss at Getty.sburg as given here, the Twelfth 
Corps is scarcely represented, and yet, the services rendered on that field by 
that command were unsurpassed in gallantry and important results. The re- 
markable losses sustai red by Johnsorr's Confederate Division and the three 
brigades attached to his command were inflicted by regiments which have no 
place in the list of those prominent at Gettysburg, by reason of their casual- 
ties. Granted that Greene's Brigade delivered that deadly fire from behind 
breastworks ; but, when Williams' and Geary's Divisions returned from Round 
Top and found that during their ab.sence their works had been occupied by the 
enemy, they became the assaulting party ; they drove the enemy out of the 
works, re-took the position and saved the right. That, in accomplishing this, 
they could inflict so severe a loss and sustain so slight a one, is as good evidence 
of their gallantry and efficiency as any sensational aggregate of casualties." 

Comrades, after such complimentary and just criticism of our actions, should 
we not feel proud ot having been wearers of the star? I do not think it would 
be amiss, to insert here, an extract from the address delivered by the Hon. 
Edward Everett, at the ceremonies attending the consecration of the National 
Cemetery at Gettysburg on the 19th day of November. 1863. Extract, Second 
Day. 

■'At eight o'clock in the evening, a desperate attempt was made by the 
enemy to storm the position of the Eleventh Coi-ps on Cemetery Hill, but here, 
too, after a t€rrible conflict, he was repulsed with immense loss. Ewell, on our 
13 



194 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

extreme right, wliichhad been weakened by the withdravral ot' the troops sent 
over to the support ol'our left, had succeeded in gaining a foothold within a por- 
tion of our lines near Spangler's spring (foot of Gulp's Hill). This was the only 
advantage obtained by the rebels to compensate them for the disasters of the 
day, and of this, as we shall see, they were deprived. 

"Such was the result of the second act of this eventful drama. A day hard 
fought and at one moment anxious, but, with the exception of the slight reverse 
just named, crowned with deadly earned but uniform success to our arms, auspi- 
cious of a glorious termination of the final struggle, on these omens the night 
fell. In the course of the night General Geary returned to his position on the 
right from which he had hastened the day before to strengthen the Third Corps. 
He immediately engaged the enemy, and after a sharp and decisive action drove 
them out of our lines, recovering the ground which had been lost on the pre- 
ceding day. 

'' A spirited contest was kept up all the morning on this part of the line, but 
General Geary reinforced by Shaler's Brigade of the Sixth Corps, maintained 
his position and inflicted very severe losses on the rebels. 

" Such was the cheering commencement of the third day's work, and with it 
ended all serious attempts of the enemy on our right." 

Nothing of any importance occurred in our vicinity during the 4th, except 
the circulation of numerous camp rumors as to the whereabouts of the enemy, 
etc., the night was spent in the works awaiting marching orders. About 3.30 
a. m., July 5th, the line of march in pursuit of the enemy was taken up, but 
in a different direction from that expected. The Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania 
on the advance of the Twelfth Corps headed for Littlestown, which we reached 
before noon, very weary and footsore. "The men having lost so much rest and 
being confined in the works such a great length of time were hardly prepared 
for steady marching yet." Marched ten miles. The Twenty-eighth being the 
advance regiment, it of course was posted on picket, and passed a very quiet 
night there. On the morning of July 6th, at seven o'clock, orders were received 
to resume the march, but by reason of General Meade having with a portion of 
his command encountered the rear guard of the enemy near Gettysburg, the 
order was countermanded. On July 7th, at 5 a. m., we left Littlestown, passed 
through Taneytown, Middleburg and Walkersville, encamping a short distance 
beyond the latter place about 6 p. m. Marched about thirty miles, most of 
the instance through the fields, the road being occupied by the artillery and sup- 
1)ly trains. 

The morning of July 8th ushered itself in rainy and very disagreeable, putting 
the roads in bad condition, but orders to resume the march were given, and 
at? a. m. we were on the move, passed through Frederick, were halted a short 
time for an issue of rations, after which resumed the march, reaching Jefierson 
about (i J), m. A great many men were destitute of shoes, and in consequence 
suflfered very much, as the march this day was mostly made over a turnpike 
road. Marched fifteen miles. 

July 9th left Jefferson, passed through Hurkittsville, crossed South Mount- 
ain at Crampton's Ga]j and encamped near Kohrersville. Marched ten miles. 

July 10th marcli resumed at .')a. m., passed through P.uona Vista, Keedysville, 
Smoketown and a portion of the Antietam battle-field, ciicamijing at Bakers- 
ville. Marched ten I'niles, 

July nth left Bakersville at :J a. m., nianhcd to Fair Play a distance of 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 195 

four miles, formed line of battle in support of the Twenty-ninth Ohio, who 
were deployed iw skirmishers in our immediate front. (The First Division of 
the Twelfth Corps had a skirmish with the enemy on our right.) We remained 
in this position until 10 a. m., July 12th, when we were ordered forward in 
line of battle, with the intention of engaging the enemy, but the corps com- 
manders having met in council and deciding not to attack, we were ordered to 
resume our former position. The Twenty-eighth relieved the Twenty-ninth 
Ohio at dusk. 

At daylight on July 13th the regiment was relieved from the skirmish line, 
moved to the right about one mile wliere it rejoined the brigade. At 8 a. m. 
were ordered back to the position vacated at dayliglit. Towards dusk we were 
ordered forward to feel the strength of the enemy and had advanced but a short 
distance when orders were received to abandon the attack and return to the 
woods. The Twenty-eighth was relieved from the skirmish line h\ the Seventh 
Ohio, and remained in reserve in close support. Rained very hard during the 
night, and the rebels succeeded in crossing the Potomac. 

At 7 a. m. on July 14th rejoined the brigade and remained under arms in 
support of the First Division, which had advanced some distance to the front of 
our line. Later on, with the Seventh Ohio, the Twenty-eighth was ordered to 
reconnoitre towards Downsville, where we found the enemy's works deserted 
and returned with several prisoners. 

On July 15th, 5 a. m. at, resumed the march, passing through Fair Play and 
Sharpsburg, haltingat half past three p. m. on the summitof Maryland Heights. 
Raining, roads in bad order. Marched sixteen miles. 

At 5 a. m., July I6th, moved from Maryland Heights and encamped in 
Pleasant Valley about one-half mile back from Sandy Hook, and in close proxi- 
mity to our camping ground of July, 1861. Marched four miles. 

July 17th and 18th remained in camp. Shoes, clothing, etc., were issued to 
the diflerent commands. The Second Corps crossed the Potomac and Shenan- 
doah rivers. 

At 5 a. m., July 19th, the line of march was again taken up, passed through 
Sandy Hook and Harper's Ferry. Crossing the two rivers, marched down the 
Piuey Run Valley to near Hillsboro, Virginia, where we encamped. Marched 
eleven miles. 

Resumed the march on July 20th, at 5 a. m., passing through Wood Grove 
and Purcellville, halting at Snickersville at 6 p. m. Marched eleven miles. 
The enemy's wagon trains were plainly visible from the crest of the Blue 
Ridge at Snicker's Gap, en route down the Shenandoah Valley. 

July 21st remained in camp. 

July 22d remained in camp. Company inspection, tlic first since leaviu"- 
Aquia Creek. 

Left Snickersville at 6 o'clock on the morning of July 23, passed through 
Upperville and Paris, halting near Ashby's Gap. Pickets were posted on the 
Blue Ridge, and tents were pitched. At 4 p. m. orders were received to pack 
and move immediately ; march was resumed. Leaving Paris and takino- the 
mountain road, we continued the march to within two miles of Markham Station 
on the Manassas Gap railroad, where we halted at 9 p. m., pretty well exhausted 
with the day's march. Marched about twenty-four miles. 

July 24th, at;") a. m., resumed march, passed through Markham halting near 
Linden. Roads in very bad order, and weather very warm. The advance of 



196 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

our column met the rear guard of the enemy at Falling Waters, near Chester 
Gap, and after a spirited engagement the enemy fled. At 12 m. the command 
was called into line, and marched back through Markham to Piedmont, where 
we halted for the night. Marched sixteen miles. 

Left Piedmont at o a. m. on July iSth, passing through Rectortown and 
White Plains, halted at W'hite Plains about one hour, when march was resumed. 
Enciimpcd at Thoroughfare Gap. Marched twenty-two miles. 

July 2()th, reveille at half past two a. m., marched at 4 a. m., passed 
Thoroughfiire Gap, Haymarket, Greenwich and Catlett's Station. Halted near 
Warrenton Junction on the Orange and Alexandria railroad, at 7 p. m. Wood 
and water was very scarce at this place, and it was very late before the troops 
were able to prepare their scanty supper. Many of the men dropped to the 
ground and slept where their commands halted, too weary to undertake to make 
preparations for supper. Marched twenty-five miles. 

July 27th moved a short distance, tents were pitched and regular camp duties 
resumed. Remained at this place resting from the fatigues and labors of the 
campaign until July 31st, when the reveille was sounded at half past three a. 
m. and orders to march were given at half past three a. m. Arrived at Kelly's 
Ford on the Rappahannock river at 7 p. m., a pontoon bridge was laid and a por- 
tion of the First Brigade of Geary's Second Division crossed to the south side, 
encountering the enemy's pickets and after some slight skirmi.shiug the enemy 
were driven ofl'. Very warm day. Marched eighteen miles. August 2d left 
Kelly's Ford at 4 p. m. and marched to near Ellis' Ford, where the regiment 
was posted on picket. Marched five miles. August 3d regiment relieved from 
picket and went into regular camp. 

Thus ended the marching and duties performed by the Twenty-eighth Penn- 
sylvania, in the campaign connected with the battle of Gettysburg, and the 
defeat of the rebel army of Northern Virginia, a fifty days' campaign, during 
which some four hundred miles were marched, and one of the bloodiest battles 
in the world's history fought by the bravest men on earth ; and we meet here 
over twenty-six years after, to commemorate the gallantry of the men who 
fought, bled and died on those memorable days of July, 1863, that the grandest 
government on the face of the globe might not perish, and we dedicate to their 
memory this monument, which we trust will mark this spot for all time. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

29'^" REGIMENT INFANTRY 

Sf.i'TEMBER nth, 1889 
ORATION OF liREVFT LIEUT.-COLONEL ROBERT P. DECHERT 

THE history of the world has not presented the story of a conflict greater 
in its results because of the interests involved than that of the battle of 
(Jettysburg. The forces engaged between the combatants wore nearly 
equal ; the Unionists while endeavoring to prevent the further advance 
of the enemy northward, threw themselves into a defensive position and com- 
pelled General Leo to attack them in their works. 




PHOTO. BY W. M. TIPTON, CtTTYiSUfiO. 



PSINT: THE F. GUTEKUNST CO., PHILA. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 107 

In the event of the success of the enemy in thut battle his passage to the 
Susquehanna, Baltimore and perhaps Philadeliihia would have been secured. 

Four years ago we had the honor to dedicate upon this field a monument 
prepared by the survivors of our regiment, which was intended to mark the 
place occupied by those in rear of the works first constructed. 

The generosity of the State of Pennsylvania has now enabled us to place an- 
other monument upon the line of works constructed on the night of July 1st 
and the morning of July 3d, and which were suV)sequently reoccupied on 
July 3d. 

We are assembled upon this daj' on the illustrious field of Gettysburg, to 
commemorate the achievements of the regiment of which you and many others 
were members, when they occupied this field and held it during the battle. 
Its surroundings as it appears to us now, with the over-hanging foliage and 
the peaceful appearance of this autumn day, would not suggest that twenty-six 
years ago there was fought upon this spot one of the most terrific battles of the 
present century. 

Arriving upon the field late on the first day of the encounter, your corps was 
placed in position on the right of the forces that had met the enemy at the 
Seminary, and had afterwards fallen back on Cemetery Ridge, and on the second 
day of the contest you were assigned to this position on Culp's Hill, which you 
rendered strong by your physical exertions and indomitable will. Had you 
been permitted to remain here, the result on this part of the field would not 
have been doubtful. The disaster to the left-center on the second day required 
your corps to practically vacate these works, and after you had moved to a 
position toward the left, you returned on the evening of the 2nd of July to 
find them within the control of the enemy. Had they known of your evacua- 
tion of these works on the second day of the battle they could have occupied 
them and then easily advanced to the Baltimore pike, which would have 
seriously endangered communications with the supply trains. After resting on 
your arms on the night of that day, there was required of you on the following 
morning the most heroic service. At dawn you commenced the assault, and, 
aided by an artillery fire which was perhaps the most determined of the war, 
you were enabled to recover the works you had relinquished, and to hold them 
until the darkness of night ended the contest and carnage of battle. There was 
then uncertainty as to the result — it was not known what fruit the morrow 
would bring forth, and Avith steadfast hope and resolve to resist all assaults of 
the enemy, the troops again rested upon their arms during that night. 

It was my privilege to participate in a reconnaissance early on the morning of 
the 4th of July under the command of General Ruger, which started from the 
right of Rock creek, passed in front of this position and marched beyond the 
town of Gettysburg, by which the commanding general was first officially in- 
formed that the enemy had abandoned the attack upon this historic ground. 

Gulp's Hill was one of the many of the memorable spots on the field of Gettys- 
burg. While Rothermel has selected another part of it from which to picture 
a combat of the two armies, he might easily have selected this place to illus- 
trate the desperate determination and bravery of the opposing forces. Upon 
this field your regiment lost heavily, many of your comrades gave up their lives 
to preserve their country's honor, whilst others have since suffered through 
honorable wounds received here in those dark and dismal hours. 

The Twenty-ninth regiment was early organized for the war, and was selected 



198 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

by the Goverument as the fourth regiment from Pennsylvania lor the three 
years' service. Under an experienced commander, who has since gone to his 
final home laden with honor, it started for the seat of war. Little did you then 
think that a service of three years, " unless sooner discharged," would extend 
into one of four years or upwards, and would embrace so large a territory as 
you were called upon to traverse. The experience in tlie Shenandoah Valley 
of Virginia was a pleasant prelude to the active life that followed, though to 
many of you the recollection of Front Royal and Winchester remind you of 
the commencement of warlike experiences. 

Some of you well remember the conflict at Cedar Mountain, the fatiguing 
marches and meager rations which followed it, ending with the triumph at 
Antietam under General McClellan. Whilst others will better recall the asso- 
ciations of Martinsburg. Williamsport and Hagerstown, where a portion of the 
regiment performed duty during the same period ; and many will be reminded 
of the privations in prison life while iu the hands of the enemy. 

After Chancelloi-sville and Gettysburg the survivors of this regiment were 
transferred to the western army under -Grant, where j'ou met and repulsed the 
enemy at Wauhatchie and Ringgold. It Avas there that the charge of the troops 
under General Geary was made up the rocky and rugged sides of Lookout 
Mountain, driving the enemy before them and beyond its summit in confu- 
sion and dismay, until at last when the clouds and smoke of battle had been 
lifted away, there stood revealed to our gladdened hearts the nation's flag, 
floating grandly to the breeze upon the highest pinnacle of the mountain. 
The clouds which had enveloped the crest, had so competely obscured the 
summit from the view of the troops in the valley, that they could only trace 
the ascent by the firing of the musketry, the struggle appearing to be, as has 
been described, " a battle above the clouds." 

Thus commenced the memorable march on Atlanta, fruitful of good deeds 
and results. I cannot refrain from mentioning at this point, that when, in the 
early winter of 1863-64, the Government invited her soldiers to re-enlist for 
another term in her service, it was this regiment that achieved the honor of 
being the first in the entire army to offer its services as a veteran regiment. 

On the expiration of the furlough of thirty days, which was granted for the 
purpose of re-enlistment, the regiment returned to the same army, then com- 
manded by Sherman, and at Buzzard's Roost, Rocky Face Ridge, Tunnel Hill, 
Dalton and Re.saca, it performed an active part. It is needless to recall the 
crossing of Pumpkin Vine Creek, or New Hope Church, or Pine Hill, or Peach 
Tree Creek, or Gulp's [Kolb's] Farm, or Pine Knob, or the turning of the 
enemy's flank at Kenesaw, or the skilful mauceuvering and fighting in front of 
Atlanta. During this campaign the Twentieth Corps, under the leadership of 
Major-General Joe Hooker, well sustained the reputation its troops had gained 
in the Army of the Potomac. With an implicit faith in their commander, that 
army marched and toiled under Sherman, until every obstacle was overcome — 
Fort McAllister was captured and Savannah was occupied. A little later the 
campaign lluough tlie Carolinas was commenced and concluded with tlie battles 
of Averysljoro and Bentonville. The end of that campaign was reached at 
Raleigh. There you received the glad tidings that Richmond had fallen, and 
that the army of Lee had surrendered to Grant at Ajjpomattox. How much 
of that great result should be attributed to the bold and arduous campaigns of 
Sherman must be decided by posterity and history. 



Pennsylvania at Gettijsbuvij. 199 

Shortly afterward you marched over the despoiled soil of Virginia to Wash- 
ington, where you participated in the grand reviews in May, 18G5, and you re- 
turned to your homes and again assumed your appropriate ])laces in the pur- 
suits of peace. 

There are familiar names closely associated with the history of this regiment : 
of Murphy who organized it, and who, after a lif«i of unusual usefulness, has 
been called to his liual abode : of Banks, who, having served in the halls of 
Congress, is still prominently in public life ; of Williams, who died while a 
member of Congress, a genial gentleman, who graced every position he filled, 
and served his country gallantly in two wars ; of the brave and impulsive 
Kane, -who died in our midst but a few years ago ; of Geary, who, having also 
served in two wars, occupied the highest civic station in our state ; of Ruger, 
now a general officer of the army ; of Hamilton, one of your early comman- 
ders ; of Manstield, who gallantly died at the head of his corps at Antietam ; 
of Greene, a distinguished soldier and citizen, who, at advanced years, still 
adorns the community in which he lives ; of Gordon, associated with your 
campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley ; of Cobham and Ireland, who fell in bat- 
tle in your midst ; of Barnum, an able and faithful officer ; of Mower, who 
commanded your corps and afterwards fell a victim to tropical disease ; of 
Hooker, a fighter, who led you in the Atlanta campaign ; of Slocum, the gal- 
lant commander of the Army of Georgia, who has since ably represented the 
country in Congress, and of Sherman, to whom the nation owes as much as to 
any other marshal for the successful results of the war. 

In the summer of 186."> General Lee planned an invasion into Pennsylvania 
with a view of forcing his advance to Harrisburg, and secure the supplies and 
wealth of the State. Immediately the hearts of our people were fired with 
resolute determination to resist the invader and drive him from our soil. The 
purpose of the enemy was bold, the immediate results of such an invasion were 
apparent. The army was then inspired with greater activity. There was as- 
signed to its command one of the ablest officers who had served with honor and 
distinction in many well-fought battles on the Peninsula — a Penusylvanian, 
thus further impressing the army with courage and confidence. The advanced 
force was commanded by General Reynolds, a Peunsylvanian, who fell gallantly 
leading his command on the first day of the battle. The center wing of the 
army, after the death of Reynolds, was commanded by another heroic son ot 
Pennsylvania whose memory is cherished by his countrymen, who died while 
senior major-general of the army — Hancock. 

The battle of Gettysburg stands out upon the pages of history as a lasting 
monument to the honor and memory of Major-General George G. Meade. 

The enemy was flushed with victory ; he had forced our army to retire from 
the assaults on Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville ; he had removed the seat 
of war to northern soil, as had been predicted ; his available force was as great 
as our own ; he well knew his ability to subsist upon the rich agricultural 
fields of the fertile valleys of Pennsylvania ; the tempting prizes of Harris- 
burg and Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington seemed to be almost within 
his grasp, and with desperation he hurled his solid phalanx against the lines at 
the cemetery, at Round Top, on the left center and on Culp's Hill, to be re- 
pulsed again and again l)y the unflinching men who heroicallj- held the works. 

History has recorded no struggle of greater magnitude and more honorable 
to the combatants than the battle of Gettysburg. The leaders of each of the 



200 Pennsylvania at Getiijshurg. 

opposing forces know that the result would be a decisive point in the proj^fess 
of the war — a victory there would establish a supremacy that could not be 
overcome by any future successes of the vaiujuished, and each army was actu- 
ated by this impulse and fouyht with the determination of brave men. 

It was however decreed by the God of battles that your works at Gettysburg 
should not be wrested from you, and at the same time the glorious news was 
given to tlie country of the surrender of Pemberton at Vicksburg. 

You and your comrades performed your part in this struggle at Gulp's Hill. — 
throughout the contest you rendered conspicuous services, which should ever 
lie remembered by a grateful jjeople. Brave men fell upon this field, and their 
memories are sincerely revered by their surviving comrades. 

It is not our duty now to recall the animosities of the conflict. It resulted 
from causes whicii the present generation could not have influenced. The 
passions aroused by it have subsided; the combatants have long since "beat 
their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning hooks." Peace 
has been restored to every portion of our country. We are cementing the 
better feelings of our intelligence and civilization, and earnestly repairing all 
the injuries resulting from civil war. 

Remembering the honorable lives of the soldiers who fell on this hallowed 
and historic ground, let me utter the sentiment of the immortal poet, Avho said — 

"Be just and fear not, 
Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's. 
Thy God's and truth's ; then if thou fall'st, O. Cromwell, 
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr." 

The special purpose of our gathering on this day, is to mark on the pages of 
history, for the benefit ot ix)sterity, one of the particular places whicli the 
Twenty-ninth Itegiment occupied on Gulp's Hill, during the darkest periods of 
the progress of the battle of Gettysburg. Here, to-day, we come again to dedi- 
cate a monument in memory of our departed comrades, who sealed their devo- 
tion to the flag by yielding up their lives on this bloody field. May their 
memories ever remain avS enduring as the granite shaft now erected to mark the 
spot of their heroic deeds. 



ORATION OF COLONEL WILLIAM RICKARDS 

1ADIES and gentlemen : — Gomrades, when I received the letter from 
the chairman of the committee, notifying me that I had been chosen to 
/ make the oration at the dedication of the monument to the Twenty- 
ninth Regiment I'ennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 1 confess 1 was some- 
what .staggered at the thought how I should proceed, and do credit to the 
occasion, to my comrades, and to myself. 

At the dedication of the tablet erected by the Survivors' Association of the 
Twenty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Jnly M, 1885, in the intro- 
ductory address which it was my province to make, I spoke of the circum- 
stances which led to the formation of this great American Nation; of the patriotic 
zeal and wisdom of its founders ; of the causes and sequences which made it 
necessary for the Twenty-ninth I'ennsylvania Volunteers with thousands of 
other brave comrades to be on this field twenty-two years before ; of our vic- 
tory over armed trcii-son and rebellion and of the public opinion which had de- 
cided to consider this the ty])ical battle of the war for the Union. That this 



Pennsylvania at Geityshurg. 201 

latter view has become a national one is proven by the array of monuments 
placed to mark the position during the battle of the regiments engaged. 

States have vied with States and regimental organizations with each other in 
securing the aid of the artist to make more attractive the ground on which the 
advance of treason and rebellion was staggered and from which it was driven 
backward, beaten again and again, until its final overthrow at Appomattox. 

Under some circumstances the place where men have died is repulsive. But 
it is not with ns on the held where our comrades fell whilst making their 
breasts a barricade between our country and its foes. Whilst to individuals 
and families death is a separation of the tender ties of father, mother, wife, 
children, or friends ; yet collectively those who fell in our glorious and holy 
cause are not dead to us. The memory of good deeds should never die, and as 
we meet year after year to deck the graves of our comrades with the fairest 
flow'ers of spring it should be with the feeling that we are offering incense to 
the spirits that muster on the parade ground of heaven. 

And so when our posterity shall visit this ground which art has made so at. 
tractive, though drawn here by curiosity of admiration of the beautiful, the 
thought will turn back to that patriotism which offered life and sacrifice for the 
preservation of this glorious heritage of freedom, bequeathed us by the sires of 
the revolution. 

The elaborate artistic eflbrt to perpetuate the memory of this battle-field, I 
believe exceeds anything of the kind in the history of the world. But to com- 
pletely nationalize the field of Gettysburg and constitute it the Mecca of pa- 
triotic devotion to our Union, there should be erected on one of the many 
prominent positions a monument surmounted by a statue entitled " Memory." 
Surrounding the monument I would have representatives of the various arms 
of service. On the monument should be inscribed Memory protecting the re- 
cords of the defenders of the Union. Tablets appropriately arranged contain- 
ing a list of the various battles, with the regiments engaged, with the number 
from each State, would make a permanent record in which each soldier for the 
Union would feel himself and his posterity honored. Memory should have a 
shield on which I would have emblazoned the crowning principle of National 
Union. — " Loyalty." 

I have searched ancient and modern history in vain to find a prototype of the 
statue of memory. 

As this field is typical of the great struggle for the preservation of onr Union 
States so this monument would be typical of the national spirit of loyalty that 
inspired the thousands of brave men who rushed to the field resolved that our 
Union must and shall be preserved. I would not depreciate the courage of the 
men we met on this or other fields during the war. They started with many 
advantages in preparation for action not possessed by us. They were led by 
men whom the Government had educated in the art of war, many of whom were 
considered superior in military attainments. This with military spirit in tlicir 
rank and file gave them a prestige which seemed to place victory within their 
grasp ; but there was a principle involved in the struggle. It was to decide 
whether a government of the people, for the people, and by the people shall en- 
dure on the face of the earth. Despite the previous, preparation the military 
advantages, the chivalric prestige and courage, the truth of the old adage still 
remains, " he is doubly armed whose cause is just." And thus armed we were 
prepared to give our lives if need be to preserve to our posterity this great gift 
of our patriotic fathers. — " One country and one flag." 



202 Pennsylvania at (Tettyshurg. 

Comrades, more tluin twenty- six years liave passed since the preservation of 
our Union math' it necessary for us as loyal citizens to meet on the field of Get- 
tysburg the insurrection forces that were moving for its destruction. It was 
believed the result on this field would be the turning-point of the war. Vic- 
tory on the side of the Union would send the rebellion on the downward track 
and show its sympathizers the folly of any further effort to advance the cause 
of secession, whilst defeat would give encouragement to the enemies of popu- 
lar government to still aid the destruction of the Union. 

This thought carries the mind back to the battle of Gettysburg as a mo- 
mentous occasion in the history of our country, and the field of Gettysburg a 
place of intense interest as the spot where rebellion was checked m its advance 
for conquest and again placed on the defensive. As representatives of the State 
of Pennsylvania we are here to-day to aid in perpetuating the memory of those 
hours of trial and danger devoted to the preservation of our National Govern- 
ment, and I wish that every soldier who served honorably in any Penn.sy)vania 
regiment could have had the same advantages offered him to visit this ground 
as those who fought here have. We are to-day. to receive from our great State 
the testimony of her appreciation of our services in the war for tlie Union and 
especially for our action in the battle of Gettysburg fought within her borders. 
But a few years more and the last comrade of the grand army for the Union 
will have been mustered out to join the immortals. It is the usual custom to 
erect monuments to the dead only. Here that custom has been deviated from ; 
and the living as well as the dead are honored and the evidence given that our 
services shall be preserved in the future. 

In this, comrades, it is commendable egotism in us to say we are receiving 
from the present generation no more than a just recognition of services 
rendered ; and are conferring a lasting benefit on our posterity by leaving them 
a united country, and the record of a heroism that was patriotic and a patriotism 
that was heroic. 



.SKETCH OF THE REGIMENT 

COMPILED BV THE COMMITTEE, THOS. DE MAISTRE, GEORGE A. BROWN, LOUIS R. 
FORTESCUE, THEO, 8. S. BAKER AND JOHN H. HUGHES 

In the month of May, 1861, John K. Murphy and a number of citizens met 
for the purpose of organizing a regiment lor the war, and after a few prelimi- 
nary meetings the following organization was effected: 

Colonel, John K. Murphy. Lieutenant Colonel, Charles Parham. Major, 
Michael Scott. Adjutant, William Letford, Jr. Regimental Quartermaster, 
Albert S. Ashmead. Surgeon, W. J. Duffee. Chaplain, IJeiijamin T. Sewell. 
Sergeant-Major, Robert P. Dechert. Quartermaster-Sergeant. Charles Mintzer. 
Commissary-Sergeant, Frederick Mintzer. Hospital Steward, Eli B. Garwood. 

Company A Captain, ; First Lieutenant, Louis R. Fortescue ; Second 

Lieutenant, G. Higgens, Jr. Company B — Captain, Davis M. Lane ; First Lieu- 
tenant, George B. Johnson ; Second Lieutenant, Joseph ISIaguigan. Company 
C — Captain, Jesse R. Millison ; First Lieutenant, W. F. Stine ; Second Lieu- 
tenant, J. Jacol)s. Company D — Captain, William ,\. Byrnes ; First Lieuten- 
ant, Edward E. Burr; Second Lieutenant, John H. Byrnes. Company E — 
Captain, fcjaiiuicl M. Zulick ; First Lieutenant, Thomas T. Seal : Second Lieu- 



Pennsylvania a1 (retf//shurg. 203 

tenant, W. D. Rickford. Company F Captain, Louis C. Kinsler ; First Lieu- 
tenant, William A. Wood ; Second Lieutenant. Alexander Cook. Company G — 
Captain. William 1). Richardson ; First Lieutenant, James C. Linton ; Second 
Lieutenant, David Richardson, Jr. Company II — Captain, Frederick Zarracker ; 
First Lieutenant, John W. Williams ; Second Lieutenant, William I)ouj;hton. 
Company I — Captain, Vv'illiam Rickards, Jr. : First Lieutenant, Samuel C. 
Reeves ; Second Lieutenant, Theodore K. Vogel. Companj' K — Captain, James 
E. Wenrick ; First Lieutenant, William J. Augustine ; Second Lieutenant, 
Philip A. Yoorheves. 

These gentlemen were commi-ssioned on May 14th as ofKcers of the Jackson 
Regiment, and when, on June lOth, eight hundred names had been inscribed 
upon the rolls of the ditTerent companies, the Honorable Simon Cameron, Sec- 
retary of War, notified Major C. F. Ruli", of the United States Army, to mus- 
ter the men into the military service of the United States. The work of the 
mustering officer was delayed however, the first company not being mustered 
in until June 29th, and the last company on July 13th, 1861. 

The uniform adopted for the enlisted men consisted of cap, jacket and pants 
all of grey cloth. The similarity at that time of this uniform to that worn by 
the rebel troops being so marked it was deemed advisable to change the color 
and the regulation army blue was substituted some few months afterwards. 

On July 16th tlie regiment went into camp in Jones' Woods at Hestonville 
where it remained until August 3d, when it left for Sandy Hook, Maryland, 
opposite Harper's Ferry, and encamped in Pleasant Valley, Maryland, being 
attached to the Second Brigade of General Banks' Division, Department of the 
Shenandoah. During the autumn and winter months of 1861-2, the regiment 
did considerable marching from Pleasant Valley to Darnestown, thence to Ball's 
Bluff, Muddy Branch and Frederick, the latter place being reached on Decem- 
ber 25th, where it went into winter quarters at Camp Carmel. Remained until 
February 25th when it broke camp the next day, the 26th, and crossed the Po- 
tomac river at Harper's Ferry. Camped on Bolivar Heights, Virginia, over 
night, on March 12th, then marched to Winchester, where General Jackson's 
troops had been defeated. The enemy retreated up the Shenandoah Valley, 
the Union troops advancing to Edenburg, where the regiment lost two men 
killed. On April 17th advanced to Mount Jackson and made a detour to the 
right to flank Rude's Hill, on which General Jackson had taken position. 
Reached there too late on the morning of the 18th to catch Jackson napping. 
Forded the Shenandoah river, moved on to Harrisonburg, marched back to 
Strasburg and went into camp and erected fortifications. May 2.3d Companies 
B and G, which had been sent to Front Royal were attacked by a large force 
of Jackson's men and nearly all were captured. The Confederates' next move- 
ment was to cut our communication olf with Harper's Ferry. The regiment 
began to move at midnight and at 3 a. m., next day, 24th, reached Middle- 
town and turned to the right on a road leading to Front Royal, and after a 
march of three miles on this road the men of the company B were met who 
reported a large force of rebels coming. The regiment about faced and marched 
back to Middletown, thence to Winchester, where the Union troops (being fol. 
lowed by the Confederates) took position on the ridge. 

On the morning of the 25th (Sunday) the enemy advanced to turn our right, 
the Twenty-ninth Regiment being ordered to meet and check them. The 
enemy advanced in columns of regimental front, our destructive firing killing 



204 Pmnsylvania at Gettysburg. 

aud wouiulin<;alM)ut tmo hiiiulred. The rcjiiment lost one hundred .and t-nenty- 
ei<^ht orticers and men taken jtrisoners, Colonel Murphy being among the 
number, the regiment being the last troops to leave the ridge. The army fell 
back to the I'otoniac river and crossed over to "NVilliamsport, the regiment un- 
der command of the major being detailed to do provost duty, three companies 
CJ, V. and F, with General Pope in his Virginia campaign and the rest of the 
companies at Hagerstown, Maryland. Between December 10th, 1862, and April 
10th. 18()3, the regiment participated in all the campaigns of the Army of the 
Potomac, having joined the Third Brigade, First Division, Twelfth Corps, and 
being contined principally to the one camping ground in the vicinitj" of Staf- 
ford Court House. It was while at this camp, on the latter date, that President 
Lincoln, accompanied by General Joe Hooker and staflf, reviewed the troops, the 
Twenty-ninth Regiment being commended by the reviewing officers for its 
proficiency. 

On April 27th commenced the memorable Chancellorsville campaign in which 
this regiment suffered in the loss of officers and men. 

In the Gettysburg campaign the regiment broke camp at Aquia Creek, Vir- 
ginia, ,Iune i;>, 1863, crossed the Potomac river at Edwards' Ferry into Mary- 
land on the 26th of June, and marched within sight of the town of Gettysburg 
on July 1st, where they turned to the left of Baltimore pike and laid on their 
arms all night. Early on the morning of the 2d moved forward to Round Top 
and formed line of battle. There being heavy firing in front, at 11 a. m. 
moved forward one mile and crossed to right of Baltimore pike to Culp's 
Hill and formed a line on right of and at right angles with Third Brigade of our 
corps, the Twelfth, the men throwing up breastworks. At half past six p. m. 
the Twenty-ninth Regiment with the remainder of the brigade were taken out 
of their works for the purpose of reinforcing the left on Round Top. "While this 
movement was taking place a .solid shot from the enemy's battery struck Ser- 
geant-Major Charles Letford, who after a few hours of intense suffering expired. 
Between 9 and 10 o'clock p. m. the brigade received orders to return to their 
brea-stworks, but officers and men alike were surprised to find that the enemy 
had possession of the works. 

As we were about to enter the woods nearly opposite our front position the 
enemy opened fire, killing Lieutenant Harvey of Company K and three men, 
and wounding ten others. We returned to the pike and re-entered the woods 
by the lane at Spangler's house following the One hundred and ninth and 
One hundred and eleventh Penn.sylvania. The brigade halted at the left on 
the line of works, and on the right of General Greene's Third Brigade, the 
Twenty-ninth Pennsylvania being at the stone wall. By direction of General 
Kane, a detail of skirmishers under the command of Captain Geo. E. Johnson, 
Company B, Twenty-ninth Regiment, Avas ordered to ascertain, if possible, the 
position of the enemy. The captain was prompt in action and soon disappeared 
in the darkness in the encray,s lines, where, with five of the men, he was cap- 
tured. The captain made his escape near Crampton's Gap where he rejoined 
the regiment and reported that on the night in question the enemy la}- quiet 
until the detail were within their lines and were then ordered to surrender. 
The brigade then moved up between the breastworks and the stone wall, one- 
half of the Twenty-ninth liegiment remaining outside of the wall, the other 
in the field, halting alx)ut one hundred and fifty paces in front of the position 
now occupied by tablet No. 1, erected July, 1885. 



Pennsylvania at (iettyshurg. 205 

All was quiet until about 2 a. m. the od, and although it was l)ut half moon 
the position occupied by the enemy was readily distinguished and their men seen 
moving about. They then commenced a ra^iid tiring which increased in tbrce 
until it extended across our front, our brigade returning the tire with such spirit 
that that of the enemy soon ceased. General Kane then ordered the brigade 
to move back to the ledge of rocks, where dispositions were made to resist the 
assault. The line was shortened to two regiments, the third in reserve, two 
regiments tilling the space from the works to the wall. As the day began to 
break the enemy opened from behind the rocks and trees and the tight became 
general. About 9 a. m. the Twenty-ninth, having exhausted their ammunition, 
were relieved by the One hundred and eleventh Pennsylvania, and were ordered 
back to the ammunition train to replenish, the men taking this time from eighty 
to one hundred rounds each. In abyut forty-tive minutes they returned and 
again relieved the One hundred and eleventh. About half-past ten o'clock, the 
enemy consisting of Steuart's Brigade of Bradley Johnson's Division of Ewell's 
Corps, advanced in battalion front to the charge, the Second Maryland Regi- 
ment in the lead. Their columns moved down on us between the breastworks 
and the stone wall. Our line to oppose them consisted of the Twenty-ninth 
Pennsylvania and the One hundred and ninth Pennsylvania, the latter on the 
right extending to the wall, their front partly protected by the ledge of rocks. 
The left of the Twenty-ninth Pennsylvania extended to the breastworks. Our 
men had been tiring at Avill all the morning and when the head of the enemy's 
column appeared in sight did not require orders to commence tiring. The enemy 
advanced steadily somewhat covered by the rocks and trees, until they arrived 
at one hundred paces from our line where the ground was more open. Noticing 
hy the falling leaves that our men were firing too high the colonel gave the 
command to shoot at their knees, the etfect of which was noticeable at once. 

The enemy came on steadily until within sixty paces when, our fire beginning 
to tell on them, they began to waver. At forty paces their confidence failed 
them. They had expected to break through our thin line with ease, Imt were 
demoralized by the undaunted bearing of the men of the Pennsylvania Brigade 
of the White Star Division. It was tbrtunate for the Union cause that Swell's 
Corps met with this repulse, for had they succeeded in breaking tlirough the 
lines of the Twenty-ninth and One hundred and ninth Regiments, the road 
would then have been opened to the center of our position involving the cap- 
ture of our ammunition trains and our hold upon Gulp's Hill and Cemetery 
Hill in the rear of our lines. They could then have taken Greene's line in the 
rear and have placed him between the two fires, forcing him to face the rear, 
when the attacking line in front would have assaulted and carried the works. 
Skirmish firing was kept up after this all day by the enemy on the hill above 
Spangler's Spring as well as in front of our works and of Greene's Brigade. 
The morning of the glorious Fourth of Juh' found the enemy in full retreat 
never again to return to this side of the Potomac river. During this a.s.sault 
and repulse of the enemy the Twenty-ninth Penn.sylvania Regiment lost seven- 
teen killed, forty-five wounded and six pri-soners ; that of Steuart's Rebel Bri- 
gade, led by the Second Maryland, fifty-two killed and one hundred and forty 
wounded. The pursuit of the enemy which commenced on July ,',th was con- 
tinued until August 3d, the troops undergoing long and fatiguing marches. 

On September 28th, the Twelfth Corps, to which the Twenty-ninth Regiment 
belonged, left Brandy Station to reinforce General Rosecrans' army in the south- 



206 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

west, arriving at Nashville, Tennessee, at six p. m., ot October 5th, and on the 
28th of same month engaged the enemy at Wauhatchie. 

November 24th the Twenty-ninth Regiment led the charge which ultimately 
captured Lookout Mountain, taking in that contest more prisoners than were 
men in their ranks. They were then moved over to Missionary Ridge, then to 
Ringgold, Georgia, and assisted in dislodging the rebels from Taylor's Ridge. 

While in camp at Lookout Valley, December 9, 1863, this regiment decided 
to ofi'cr their services to the government for the war, and upon the announce- 
ment being made to headquarters were sworn in and were the tirst to receive 
the distinguished title of Veteran Union Soldiers by re-enlistment. 

On December 12th, the veteran furlough of thirty days having been granted, 
the regiment took their departure for Philadelphia amid the cheers of the 
White Star Division drawn up by orders of General Geary to render the part- 
ing salute, and on December 22d they arrived at their destination, meeting 
with an enthusiastic reception. 

After recruiting its ranks the regiment again started for the front reaching 
Nashville on March 21, 1864. 

Taking part in the Georgia campaign they engaged the enemy on the 8th of 
May near Snake Gap ; again from the 12th to 15th of same month at Resaca, 
losing in killed and wounded eighty-two men. On Maj' 25th, moved against 
the rebels at New Hope church. Were engaged from June 13th to 15th at Pine 
Knob and in making the assault at this point lost their colonel by a serious 
wound through the left breast, several of our men being wounded. General 
Hooker's attention being called by a member of the Twenty-ninth Regiment to 
the enemy massing their forces in front of our First Division, the General, tak- 
ing in the situation, put spurs to his horse and galloped off to the right of the 
line and had the First Division placed in readiness for an attack. The attack 
was made and the enemy defeated with a loss of nearly two thousand men 
killed, wounded and prisoners. 

On the 16th the brigade moved to the right to Muddy Creek and threw up 
breastworks, the line of works being so close to the enemy's that our men were 
compelled to take turns in going to the rear of our works to cook coffee. In 
this movement Private Sellman of Company G was killed returning to the 
works. On the 17th the enemy fell back and our troops advanced four miles. 
The enemy taking up a strong position in a clump of woods, the Sixty-eighth 
New York Regiment and the Twenty-ninth Pennsylvania Regiment were de- 
tailed to support a battery that was ordered to open fire on the enemy three 
hundred yards in our front. On the 20th our corps advanced their lines. The 
enemy fired but were driven oft' the field, a large number of prisoners falling 
into our hands. In this encounter Colonel Cobham was killed, our brigade 
commander. On the 21st Captain Goldsmith was ordered to take command of 
the Twenty-ninth Regiment and on the 22d moved about one mile nearer to 
Kolb's Farm, thence to Kenesaw Mountain, driving in the enemy and building 
breastworks ; 24th, the members of the regiment who did not re-enlist held a 
meeting and appointed a committee to wait upon General Hooker, to know from 
him if their three-years' services were up and if they were to be mustered out 
of the service, the committee reported that General Hooker had promised that 
they would b(; on their way home by the first of the month (July). 

On the 2Hth our lines advance<l, tho.se who had not re-enlisted being sent to 
the rear in charge of Major Millison, who reported to General Geary's head- 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 207 

quarters, the General shakin<i; eacli bj' the hand, and were then marched eight 
miles to Big Shanty Station where the cars were in waiting to take tliem home- 
ward. The Twenty-ninth Regiment being now left without a Held officer 
Lieutenant-Colonel Walker was ])laced temporarily in command of the regiment 
bnt on July 21st was relieved of the command by Captain Goldsmith. July 
26th, the lines advanced within view of Atlanta and on the 2etli General 
Hooker tendered his resignation which action had a depressing effect upon the 
troops of his corps. On the 30th Captain Goldsmith, who was in command of 
the regiment, was relieved by Captain Frank Zarracker, his term of service hav- 
ing expired. In August General Slocum resumed command of the Twentietli 
Corps and the troops advanced slowly but surely on Atlanta, the shells from our 
batteries thrown into the city setting fire to the buildings. September 2d and 
3d, the troops marched through Atlanta our brigade being in the advance. The 
Twentieth Corps remained at Atlanta until November l.")tli and during this 
time the regiment was sent on several foraging expeditious, frequently for forty- 
eight hours at a time, in every instance returning to camp with long trains of 
wagons filled with provisions for men and horses. 

November 5th, received ordere at two p. m. to pack up immediately, moved 
out of the camp about two miles, and rested over night on the Gth discovered 
the enemy's cavalry reconnoitering us. On the 15th broke camp, marching 
eastward eighteen miles, the city of Atlanta ablaze ; the fire being started by our 
troops. On the 19th marched through Madison and on the 23d assisted in tear- 
ing up the railroad tracks. 25th, men halted for twenty-four hours until nine 
bridges were repaired which spanned the swamp near Davisboro. 26th and 
27th, continued marching and destroying railroad tracks. 28th, marched back 
to Davisboro then to Holcomb, then to Louisville, Georgia, the troops subsist- 
ing on the country. 

December 2d, met the enemy's skirmishers and repulsed them ; on the 11th 
brigade advanced within five miles ot Savannah, our left resting on the Savannah 
river and our men lying in ditches as a protection from the enemy's shells. 

On the 18th General Sherman demanded a surrender of the city but was met 
by a refu.sal, the enemj' subsequently evacuating their works. 21st, the 
authorities came from the citj^ bearing a flag of truce to meet our troops 
which resulted in the surrender of the city of Savannah. Our regiment, being 
the first to enter the town, was accompanied by General Gear}', division com- 
mander, and Barnum, brigade commander. 

25th. Christmas dinner enjoyed by the members of the Twenty-ninth 
Regiment, the men being quartered in houses that had been deserted by the 
owners. On the 29th left Savannah and marched, keeping to the line of the Sa- 
vannah and Charlestown railroad, finally crossed the Savannah river into South 
Carolina on pontoon bridges at Sisters' Ferry on February 7th ; at Black Swamps 
we erected bridges and constructed roads for nearly a mile across the swamp 
which in some places showed a depth of three feet of water. 

On the 15th entered Lexington. 17th. Columbia occupied by Fifteenth Corps. 
23d, marched to and crossed Catawba river on pontoon bridges, and on March 4th 
crossed the line into North Carolina. 

The 24th witnessed the passage of the troops through Goldsboro, where a re- 
view took place by General Sherman and Slocum and the reading of the circu- 
lar issued by order of General Sherman commanding his army. The morning 
of -\pril 27th opened auspiciously to the men of the Western Array, bringing 



208 Pennsylvania at Gettyshurg. 

with it tlie glorious tidings sd long contended for h\ them of the surrender of 
General Joe Johnston and his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman ; 
cuirrying with it the dissolution of those forces and that inexpressibly happy 
termination of our troubles indicated in the words — Homeward Bound. 

Between April 30th and July 13th, Twenty-ninth Kegiment as a part of the 
Twentieth ,Corps marched through North Carolina and Virginia and partici- 
pated in the grand review before the President in Washington, being mustered 
out on the latter date. 

During its service of four years its muster-rolls contained the names of over 
two thousand live hundred men, its casualties in killed, wounded and prison- 
ers being eight hundred and seventy, and it returned to the custody of the 
Governor of the noble old State of Pennsylvania which it represented its colors 
untarnished and its record pure and unstained. 

On Julj' 3d, 1885, the survivors of the Twenty-ninth Regiment erected a 
tablet to mark the position occupied by them on July 3d, 1863. This tablet is 
of dark granite with polished sides traced in panels upon which the history of 
regiment is cut, the whole being seven feet high by four feet square at the base. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

30™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

(First Reserves) 

BY CORPORAL W. D. STAUFFER 

THE regiment l)roke camp at Fairfax Station. Virginia, on the Orange 
and Alexandria railroad, on June 25, 18(53, in the early gray of the 
morning, and took up the line of march for Frederick City, JSIaryland, 
where we remained a short time with the main body of the Army of the 
Potomac. On June "JHth we marched for Gettysburg, going through Hanover, 
York county. Pa. About live miles from Gettysburg we struck the Baltimore 
pike and marched direct for the battle-iield, arriving about 11 o'clock in the 
forenoon of July 2d, when we were halted near General Meade's headquarters, 
stacked arms and were told to cook our coffee which we had not tasted for 
several days. In a very short time the bugle called us to fall in, when we were 
moved off to the left at a double-quick and took our position at the foot of 
Little Round Top, where we lay on our arms, bayonets fixed. About 3 p. m. 
the order to charge was given, when the First Regiment gave the enemy (who 
were following our retreating forces) one volley, and then at them ^\■ith the cold 
steel and drove them through the ravine up tin; side of the hill over thestone wall 
out into the wheat held, killing and capturing many of the enemy. We re- 
mained at the otone wall all night. The next day (July 3d) the regiment was in 
the grand charge and flank movement by which many of the enemy were cap- 
tured, and also a flag. They were driven off the field, a burial party was taken 
by surprise and a number w ere captured. They left in great haste leaving many of 
their dead all reiuly for burial, which duty our meu completed for them, for 
which those who were present as prisoners were very thankful. A member of 




PHOTO. B. W. H. TIPTON, GtTTYSI 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 209 

Company E of this legirapiit was killed this day in the very front lino, and 
about the hist shot lired at the regiment in the Gettysburg battle. We liad one 
company in the regiment from Gettysburg, Company K, and many of the men 
fought within sight of their own firesides. On July 4th, in the morning, we 
marched over Little Round Top and stacked arms about where the railroad 
station now is, at the foot of the liill, where we lay all day and General Meade's 
order congratulating the army on the victory was read to us. It rained a great 
deal that day and night. On the morning of July 5th the regiment took up the 
march for Lee's retreating column, marching on the Taneytown road some dis- 
tance when we left the main road, following the enemy very closely with con- 
siderable skirmishing and capturing a number of officers and men. A short 
distance from Falling Waters on the Potomac they made a stand but soon left. 
This was about July 12th as near as I can remember, Avhen the regiment was 
marched by the double-quick to Williamsport, where we were assigned to our 
position on the left in the main line of battle. Expecting to make the attack 
at any moment, we lay on our arms waiting for orders, when, on the morning 
of the 14th, the report came that the enemy had disappeared, Lee had succeeded 
in crossing the Potomac with his army intact, which surprised us very much. 
The regiment took up the line of march, crossed the Potomac at Berlin, follow- 
ing Lee's retreating forces down through Virginia. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

31^^ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

(Second Reserves) 

BY MAJOR E. M. WOODWARD 

COMRADES :— On the 5th of February, 1863, while we lay at White Oak 
Church, a telegram was received from General Doubleday, commanding 
our division, stating ''that in consideration of the arduous services 

of the Reserves," the}' were to be withdrawn to Washington, "to rest 
and recruit," Leaving the Army of the Potomac, General Hooker command- 
ing, they proceeded, via Belle Plain, to Alexandria, where the First Brigade, 
under Colonel AVilliam McCandless, of the Second Regiment, marched to Fair- 
fa.x Court House to watch Colonel Mosby and his guerrillas. Being accus- 
tomed to the freedom of soldiers in the proximity of the enemy, and being 
more annoyed than interested by the guerrillas, the constant drilling, restraint 
of camp and absence of excitement created dissatisfaction, and they longed to 
return to active service. 

On the 15th of June General Hooker and staff passed our encampment, pre- 
ceded and followed by the Army of the I'otomac, To see our comrades mov- 
ing to meet the enemy who we knew were heading for Pennsylvania, threaten- 
ing our homes and loved ones, and for us to remain behind was mortifying, and 
although we had sent officers to AVashington to intercede for marching orders, 
Ave met with no encouragement. We therefore prepared and forwarded the 
following petition which was .signed by all the officers of our regiment present . 

14 



210 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

" Headquaktehs Second Regiment Infantry. P. R. V. Corps, 
" Fairfax Station, Va., fune, \'th, 1863. 
"To Colonel William McCandlbss. CommandinQ First Biigade, Penn8ylva7iia Reserve 

Volunteer Corps: 
" Colonel : Wc, the undersigned, officers of the Second Regiment Infantry Pennsyl- 
%-ania Reserve Volunteer Corps, having- learned that our motlier State has been invaded 
by a Confederate force, respectfullj- ask, tiiat you will, if it be in your power, have us 
ordered withiu the border of our State for her defense. 

"Under McCall. Reynolds. Meade, Seymour, Sinclair and yourself, we have more 
than once met and fought the enemy when he was at home. We now wish to meet 
him again where he threatens our homes, our families and our firesides. 

" Could our wish in this behalf be realized, we feel confident that we could do some 
service to the State that sent us to the field, aud not diminish, if we could not increase, 
the lustre that already attaches to our name. 

•* W^e are. Colonel very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servants." 
*********** **** 

Our petition having been acceded to, on the •25tli orders were received to 
move immediately, and at .5 o'clock that afternoon the Second, commanded by 
Lieutenant-Colonel George A.Woodwai'd, left the station and marched in a north- 
westerly direction through Fairfax Court House and Vienna, near which we 
bivouacked at 11 o'clock that night. .Tust as we started it commenced driz- 
zling and continued so to do all night. The next morning at 4 o'clock we 
resumed our march, continuing in the same general direction, passing between 
Dranesville, our first l)attle-field and the first victory of the Army of the Po- 
tomac, and Lee.sburg, making Goose Creek that night. Up to four o'clock it 
was very warm, and we were enveloped in clouds of dust, but a grateful, 
though violent rain set in, which was most refreshing to the wearied boys. As 
we were making forced marches quite a number fell out, and did not get up to 
us until daylight the next morning. The Third Brigade, Colonel J W. Fisher 
of the Fifth Regiment commanding, joined us in the morning from Alexandria : 
the Second Brigade, Colonel H. G. Sickel of the Third Regiment commanding, 
being retained for the defense of Washington aud to join General George Crook 
in his West Virginia campaign. Colonel, afterwards Brevet Major-General 
Sickel, had commanded the division of Reserves from General Meade's assign- 
ment to the command of the Fifth Army Corps, with a short exception, until 
now, when Brigadier-General S. W. Crawford, U. S. -\rmy, succeeded him. 

The next morning at daylight we resumed our march, passing near a portion 
of the field of '' Ball's Bluflf, "' where Colonel Baker so gloriously fell, and 
crossed the Potomac at Edwards' Ferry on pontoons. That night we reached 
the mouth of the Monocacy in spite of the heavy roads. On the 28th, at day- 
light, we niovcil ofl", and crossing the aqueduct of the Chesapeake and Ohio ca- 
nal over tlie Monocacy, passed through Buckeystown and bivouacked about two 
miles from Frederick City. Here we came up with the main armj', and re- 
ported to General Sykes, commanding the Fifth Army Corps, to which we were 
assigned. This corps until then had been commanded by General Meade, w^ho 
had made application to have us .sent to him, but the day of our arrival Gen- 
eral Hooker was relieved of the command oftlie Army ol'tlie Potomac and Meade 
assigned to it. 

We started tlie next day at noon, and, moving a few miles, halted in a hme 
nearly all tlie afternoon, and at 7 o'clock crossetl the Jlonocacj' Bridge on tlie Bal- 
timore iiike and turned up the liank of the stream, heading north. Soon after 
we waded the river and struck across the fields and about 10 o'clock bivou- 
acked in a wood, having made a tiresome day's march of but ten miles. This 
slow marching was occasioned by our being in the rearguard of the Reserve Ar- 
tillery, which consisted of two hundred and Ibrty-eight guns, supplied with two 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 211 

hnndred aud fifty rounds of ammunition each, making in all sixty-two thou- 
sand rounds. Uetbre night tliat day tlie enemy's cavalry entered Frederick. 
That night heavy details were made iVom our regiment for a wagon guard. 

The next morning we marched early, passing through Lil)ert3', Union Bridge, 
and Uniontown, where a pontoon train that accompanied us created much won- 
derment among the rustics, who did not believe Ave could do much with our 
"gun-boats" up in the mountains. We marched twenty miles and bivouacked 
near dark two miles beyond Uniontown aud were mustered for pay. 

The next morning, July 1st, we moved at 5 o'clock and learning the ene- 
my's scouts had been in the neighborliood the day before, each regiment thr(Mv 
out flankers to the right and left, in which way we advanced until the nature 
of the country became such that cavalry could not oi)erate against us. About 
2 o'clock we halted within a few hundred yards of the Pennsylvania State 
line and rested ourselves. That day was one of the happiest of our lives, and 
every heart beat Avarm with the thought we would soon press the .soil of our 
Mother State to whose defense we were marching. The bands and regimental 
drum corps poured forth their soul-inspiring airs from morning until night, 
and light was the tread of our feet to their notes. About 3 o'clock we were 
drawn up to hear a patriotic address from General Crawford, after which we 
marched on, and as we cro.ssed the line cheer after cheer rang out from the regi- 
ments, which rolled over the hills and through the valleys until lost m the far 
distance. We soon came to a fine open woods where Ave halted until night, roll- 
ing on the good old soil of Pennsylvania and listening to the sweet airs of the 
bands. Abundance of rAtions aud sixty rounds of cartridges per man Avere dis- 
tributed, the former for ourselves and the latter for our friends the "Johnnies." 

While lying here, through the branches above us, amidst the bright sunshine, 
a large star was discovered shining over us with all the brilliancy of a heavenly 
A'isitant, Avhich was gazed upon Avith great interest and receiA-ed as an omen of 
victory. 

While here all ourAvagons Avere sent to Westminster, Maryland, tA^euty- 
five miles from the battle-field, and the ammunition Avagons and ambulances 
Avere pushed forward. At dark Ave again took up our march, and a long Aveary 
one it proA'ed. We did not rest until tAvo the next morning, when Ave laid down 
in an open woods, having made twenty miles and being aAvake twenty-two 
hours. But in an hour's time the drums beat the reveille, and soon we were 
again in motion, moving sloAvly aud cautiously along the roads and across the 
fields, and about noon struck the Baltimore pike, and, coming to Rock creek, 
filed to the left and laid doAvu in rear of the line of battle. 

The tumult of battle Avas raging on our left front, but Ave lay at rest until 
about 4 o'clock Avhen we moved toAvards the sound of battle where our 
brigade took position on the Avestern slope of Little Round Top overlooking the 
Sickles field. They remained here but a few moments, our front being covered 
with fugitives from the field folloAved by the victorious foe. All seemed lost, 
the right of our brigade opened fire almost in the tiice of the enemy. At the 
same time the Bucktails and our regiment on the extreme left attempted to 
change front as we moved from the second line to the brigade front, Avhen the 
enemy broke in upon us. For a few moments a desperate struggle ensued, but 
few shots were fired on either side, the bayonet and butt of musket doing the 
AA'ork. The balance of our brigade (-harged, Avhen we, with a yell, pushed 
our opponents doAvn the top aud started them ovei- the meadoAv. At the stone 



212 Pennsylvania at Geffyshury. 

wall they rallu'tl. and licie again they showed that desperate courage that ani- 
mated them npon every tield. But it was on Pennsylvania soil we were tight - 
in". On went the flag, three standard bearers were shot down, but up and on to 
victory it Avent. The wall was ours and the foe driven over the wheat field. 

Plum run in our rear was lined on the west side by Sickles' wounded who 
could not cross, and on the east side by the Confederates who had strength to 
reach it from Little Round Top, while the bed of the run Avas choked with the 
dead and dying who attempted to cross. From it only could our boys obtain 
water to ([uench the sudden and burning thirst that follows the excitement of 
})attle. 

Until late at night we were engaged in caring for the wouuded who thickly 
strewed the field in our front and rear, and then we sank to sleep in line of 
battle with muskets in our hands. For a little while, perhaps an hour, not a 
sound could be heard, even the wounded forgetting their pain in slumber. The 
bri<^ht stars twinkled in the heavens and the moon shone down in mild rays. 
Peace now rested over the field where the rage of demons and of hell had reigned 
supreme a few hours before. But the loved angel of peace was soon to 
vanish, the demon spirit only slept, and with the dawn's light was to burst 
forth Avith all its fury. The restless foe at Devil's Den soon commenced stirring 
and the half-suppressed groans of the wounded gradually increased as they 
aAvoke to consciousness and the uuAvelcome dawn appeared. 

At daybreak the enemy's skirmishers opened with spirit, the noise of 
musketry almost resembling battle. Our pickets were promptly reinforced by 
volunteers but soon the fire slackened and settled down to common-place picket 
fi'diting, affording the boys excellent opportunities tor the display of address 
in maua'vring for good shots Avhich at times created considerable amusement. 

About 11 o'clock everything quieted doAvn and for two hours no noise 
was heard upon the field. Suddenly a signal gun of the enemy opened the 
•^rand cannouade of over two hundred guns that hurled their bursting missiles 
through the air and enveloped the lines of battle for tAvo miles in flame and 
smoke. As suddenly all was hushed and then Pickett's eighteen thousand 
men advanced to the charge. Again our guns opened upon them sweeping 
destruction through their ranks, yet they faltered not until with bayonet they 
met the fire of our infantry, when crushed, torn and bleeding, their scattered 
fragments fled from the field. 

As Ave lay far in advance ol our line of battle Ave had a full view of this 
magnificent and thrilling sight. The boys became restive and it was im- 
possible for the olflcers to prevent some of them from slipping oft^ and firing 
upon the column as it advanced and retreated. Corporal (rcorgc Stewart of 
E, here lost his life and John Seadinger of H, Avas Avounded. 

It Avas then, after Pickett's charge— one of the grandest of earth— that Gen- 
eral CraAvford determined to raid the enemy's lines in our front and left, and 
our regiment Avith the brigade leaped the wall and McCandless SAvept over the 
wheat-lield, crushed into the enemy's line and after a short fight stampeded 
McLaws' Division toAvards the Peach Orchard. Benning's Brigade of McLaAVs' 
Division on our left, being cut off from the main army, fought stubbornly, but 
after losing many in killed and Avounded and over tAvo hundred prisoners and 
the flag of the Fifteenth Georgia Infantry fled, pursued by us for over half a 
mile to near Slyder's house. Avhere Ave came near running into Hood's Brigade, 
Avhich piked oflou the double-(iuick. 



Pennsi/lvania at Grffi/.shK)'(/. 213 

Night was now f;xst approaihiiig and McCandless by order withdrew the 
brigade to tlie point wliere we first struck the enemy's line near the soiithei'n 
end of Rose's woods. ICere we buried our dead, and among them poor Andy 
Ryan, a boy who had amused us so often with his comic songs. About 2 
o'clock on the "glorious Fourth" we moved over the wheat-field to the north 
end, and crept up through the wood, pushing the Johnnies out, neither party 
caring much about fighting, in fact all we Avauted was the position. Here we 
laid until daylight when picket fighting commenced. A few shots from a. 
battery on our left came ricochetting over the field, a line of skirmishers was 
sent out before whom the enemy retired, and the spiritless atiair died out, the 
Reserves winding up the Imttle. 

The Confederates were undou))tedly victorious over .Sickles on the left, crush- 
ing out and driving from the i\v\d his gallant regiments who.se arms were un- 
tarnished by their defeat, but when they were repulsed in their charge upon 
the Round Tops, and failed to hold the stone wall, and when their lines were 
raided after Pickett's charge, it seems that the Reserves somewhat tarnished 
"the silver lining of the cloud upon the left" which .some of their authors de- 
light in lingering upon. 

About noon we were relieved by a brigade of regulars and moved back to the 
stone wall where, being relieved Vjy other troops, we crossed the meadow to 
Little Round Top. A heavy rain set in, rations were distributed and we rested 
in peace until the afternoon of the next day. 

Lieutenant-Colonel George A. Woodward being unable to accompany us on 
the field on account of wounds received at Glendale, Major P. McDonough led 
us in the charges. 

Our regiment took into battle one hundred and forty-seven officers and men 
of which ten were killed and thirty-nine wounded, forty-nine in all. 

At five o'clock on the afternoon of the .")th we moved ofi" in a .southwesterly 
direction over muddy roads, and at midnight bivouacked in an open field, and 
with the division was encircled with pickets. The next morning we crossed 
the State line, where a congratulatory addre.ss from General Meade was read 
and we bivouacked for the remainder of the day and night. 

At four o'clock on the 7th avc moved off, passing near Emmitsburg and con- 
tinuing along the base of the South Mountains, marching on the fields skirting 
the pike and passing thi'ough Graceham and Creagerstown, and bivouacked at 
dark six miles from Frederick, having marched twenty-one miles over heavy 
roads. 

On the 8th, at six o'clock, we marched, heading west, aud passing over fields 
soon struck the Catoctin Mountains, up the rugged sides of which w'e clambered 
through a heavy rain that had been falling all night. Arriving at the summit 
we commenced the descent along a narrow and rough road, and had a fine view 
of the magnificent valley in which Middletown is situated, and a large num- 
ber of troops were laying. Passing through the town which was filled with 
moving columns of troops and wagons, we turned to the left and bivouacked a 
mile south of it. During the night rations were served out to the companies. 

The next morning we marched at .six o'clock and cro.ssed the South Moun- 
tains at a point where the left wing of our army had gained a victory on tlie 
14th of September and Avhere Reno fell. De.scending the western slope we 
bivouacked about two miles from Keedysville, within sight of Antie'tam's 
glorious field. Through the day we heard heavy firing in the direction of 



214 Peu)hs)//cani(> at (TeitTjshurg. 

Williamspori. A lull supply of shoes uiul stockings was distributed ihrougli 
the night. 

The next morning we commenced our march at six o'clock and soon after- 
wards heard heavy cannonading. Pas.sing near Keedysville and LaRoy, we 
struck Antietam creek passing h\ Delaraont Mills, where the enemy had been 
in tlie morning and sonui of their officers had ordered dinner which they kindly 
left for us to eat. Just l)eyond we halted and threw out cavalry and infantry 
skirmishers who occasionally exchanged shots with the enemy for several 
hours. 

On the morning of the 11th we moved forward cautiously to near the Sharps- 
burg and Hagerstown turnpike where we deployed in line of battle and rested 
until four in the afternoon, at which time the division moved forward in 
columns of companies with the regiments at deploying distance, with a heavy 
body of skirmishers in front and pioneers to tear down the fences. Having ad- 
Minced about two miles the division halted, and our regiment and five com- 
panies of the Fifth, under Lieutenant-Colonel Woodward, were sent out on 
picket. We found the Second Corps pickets engaged with the enemy on the 
pike for the possession of a piece of woods, and being in reserve to them did 
not make our connection with their line until after dark when we occupied the 
inner edge of the woods in dispute. The Second Corps fell back and changed 
their line twice through the night, and we had to alter ours to correspond. 

The next morning, Sundaj', we advanced our line, occupying the woods in 
dispute without much opposition, crossed the pike and posted our line on the 
elevated ground beyond, sending Companies C, Captain Byrnes, and H, Captain 
Mealey, to occupy a piece of heavy timber further in advance and in close 
proximity to the enemy's picket-pits. Soon after heavy artillery and musket 
firing was heard on our right, and about four o'clock orders were received to 
withdraw our line about half a mile to the left. Here we rejoined the division 
and soon afterwards were thrown out as skirmishers beyond the pike. Some 
sharp firing took place but without much result. The division moved back to 
their former position and at nine o'clock that night we were relieved and joined 
them. At a house behind the picket line we found our friends, the Johnnies, 
had again ordered for us a fine dinner which in our hunger we enjoyed very 
much, notwithstanding a ball occasionally whistled through the Avindows and 
one l)roke a jiitcher on the table. 

July the V.M\\ w^as a rainy and di.sagreeable day and we did not move until 
nearly three in the afternoon, when we marched to a line of rifle-pits that the 
di vision had thrown up, where we laid all night. That night orders were received 
to march early with the greatest secrecy, but we did not move until morning, 
when it was discovered the enemy had evacuated their position through the nighl . 
As we advanced we found three long lines of formidable rifle-pits which the 
enemy had abandoned leaving many tools behind. They also found a number 
of arms, and many prisoners were brought in. In this movement the '" Ihu:k- 
tails " were posted on the right and we on the left as flankers, and at ten o'clock 
we arrived within sight of Williamsport on the upper Potomac. At noon we 
recommenced our march and proceeded to Falling Waters, where we arrived 
too late to participate in the brush with the enemy. Here our cavalry under 
Kilpatrick overtook the rear guard and captured two guns, several flags and a 
number of prisoners ; Lee's army had crossed during the night. 

Tlic pursuit of Lee's army was not yet abandoned, but an attempt was made 



PemiKylvmuu (tf Gettysburg. 215 

by General Meade to head it otl'tlirough some of the gaps in llie nionntaiiis to 
the east of the Shenandoah valley, up which Lee was marching. The next 
morning, the lilth, at four o'elock, we commenced our march, nearly retracing 
our steps, passing near Delamout and down the Hagerstown pike totheKecdys- 
ville road, and halted to make coflee about noon on the site of the " Smoketowu 
hospital. " Near by was the burial ground of the Union dead of Antietam, with 
a handsome wooden monument erected in tlie center by the convalescents. 
We easily recognized the point from which we turned into the fields to open 
the battle of Antietam on the afternoon of September 10, 1862. Moving on we 
crossed the Antietam, passed through Keedysville and over South Mountain by 
the .same road we came, and encamped near its eastern base. The day was 
verj^ warm and the march was over a rough and hilly country, in many places 
the roads very muddy, and the distance made being twenty-three miles, the 
men were much fatigued. 

We moved the next morning about five, skirting along the base of the moun- 
tains through Burkittsville and Petersville and halting about two miles from 
Berlin, encamped in a fine wood about eleven o'clock. The next day our wagons 
came up and the oflicers got a change of clothing, the first they had since 
leaving Fairfiix Station. 

It rained hard all night and through the day of the 17th until lour in the 
afternoon when we moved off and crossed the I'otomac on a pontoon bridge at 
Berlin, and trod once more the soil of Virginia. Moving on to Lovettsville, 
three miles beyond, we bivouacked near it, being the first infantry that crossed. 

The next day, the 18th, our regiment was detailed as corps wagon-train guard 
and reached Wheatland at three p. m. On the 19th we marched at six in the 
morning, and pa.ssing through Purcellville bivouacked in a woods at ten o'clock. 
We passed a number of prisoners belonging to White's Cavahy. Our move- 
ments now were rather cautious, as we had a large train and the enemy's cav- 
alry -were in the neighborhood. 

The next morning we sounded reveille at two o'clock, and moved almost over 
the same ground we did last year under McClellan, passing bj^ Philomont and 
our old camps near Uniontown, and encamped about noon on Goose creek. 
Our route laid through a finely-watered and picturesque country with fine 
farms and houses, but all the fences were gone and roads blotted out. 

The 21st was spent in camp, the boys occupying their time in writing home, 
bathing and wa.shing clothes. In a stone wall in the meadow in front of us, 
some copperhead snakes were discovered and soon nearly half of the division 
was at work with clubs hunting them, and in an incredibly short time the wall 
Avas leveled with the ground. 

At two o'clock the next afternoon we marched oft' over the fields and along 
by-roads to Rectortown and encamped near the Manassas Gap railroad in a 
heavy woods. On the 23d we formed a field hospital, and left our wounded 
and sick in charge of surgeons and guard, with provisions and medicines. 
Among those left was Sergeant-Major Hiram C. Hostetter, who died and was 
buried there. He was a good soldier and exemplary young man. 

The next day we marched early, keeping along the general course of the rail- 
road, passing through Markham, Petersville and Linden. About three o'clock 
we reached the eastern base of the Gap, and soon skirmishing commenced on 
Wapping Heights, which lasted until near dark, when the enemy were driven 
from the Gap. Soon after we moved on past Wapping. which consisted of a de- 



216 Pennsylvania at Gettysbimj. 

I'uiK't tavcin, an empty store and soveral shanties, and encani]>ed about a half 
mile beyond. That day we marched twenty-live miles. 

Being in the presence of the enemy no "calls" were sounded. The next 
morning wo marched up the railroad and moving to the right, formed in col- 
umns of division and moved in by the right flank and advanced up the side of 
a steep mountain covered with a thick growth of timber and underbrush. So 
steep was it that the field officers were forced to dismount. Having reached its 
base on the opposite side, the ascent of a still steeper and higher mountain was 
commenced, which re(|uired great exertion to accomplish, and by the time the 
command had crossed the men were completely fagged out. The day was ex- 
cessively hot, several men were overcome by the heat, one broke his neck and 
another was accidentally shot through the head. A small force of the enemy 
could have held the mountains against us as the.y would have had every advan- 
tage. A line of skirmishers properly supported would have been more effective. 
Upon arriving at the western base, the men were collected and reformed in a 
little valley, and after an hour's rest were marched back and encamped, where 
fresh beef was served out. 

On the "ioth, we sounded reveille at three o'clock and retracing our steps lor 
some miles turned to the right following along the foot hills of the Blue Moun- 
tains, and haltingabuut three in the afternoon, bivouacked. The next morning 
at five o'clock we marched off in good spirits, passing a large number of prison- 
ers near Orleans whomi the boys hailed in friendly terms. At noon we halted 
in a clover field about two miles from Warrenton, having made thirteen miles 
with but one halt of fifteen minutes. 

We had been short of provisions for several days, and while we laid here Gen- 
eral Crawford Avas saluted by his hungry boys with the cry of '"crackers" as 
he passed by. This annoyed him and he rode over to General Meade and de- 
manded rations. "Why my dear General, " he replied, " you should not let 
that annoy you. One night at White Plains, where I marched the boys a couple 
of miles out of road, they actually called me a ' four-eyed old devil,' but ui>ou 
my soul I could not get mad at them." 

Towards dark we got into motion and marched six miles, passing to the west 
of Warrenton we bivouacked in a low open field, where we were annoyed for the 
first time dui-ing the war by mo.squitoes. The next morning we sounded no 
reveille, but woke the men up (!arly and marched towards Fayetteville, near 
Avhich we halted at eight in the morning for the day and night. On the 38th 
Ave moved about two miles to a new position where we laid until August 1st 
sjiending one day on picket. While here First-Lieutenant .John Taylor, com- 
manding Companj^ K, Avas appointed an aide-de-camp on Colonel McCandless" 
staff. Considerable cannonading was heard towaids Warrenton Springs, our 
cavalry skirmishing with the enemy. 

From there Ave moved to Kai)i)alianiiock Station where we lormed a regular 
encampment, and the (iettA'sburg campaign closed. 

For ten days jirior to this, we had been almost every night upon tlie inaicli 
not getting iar from our original starting point. The clink of tin (;ups on the 
bayonets and the rumbling of artillery and wagons Avas ccmtinually heard. At 
every stojjping place orders Avere issued to lay out our camps regularly, dig- 
sinks and build bough arbors over our tents. Orders Avere i.ssucd that the army 
AA'ould be, sui)])lied with knapsacks in Avhicli \\<' were expected to carry a large 
number ot' light rations and extra t.-miikN ni' minnnnition. Troops were con- 




'VOTO. OY W. M. 'IP'-ON. GETTV5BUR0. 



PRINT : THE F. GUTEKUN3T CO., PHILA. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 217 

tinually arriving from a short distance up tlie railroad. Tliese movements im- 
pressed the enemy with the idea we were being heavily reinforced and intended 
moving towards Richmond, when in fact large numbers of troops were being 
secretly sent to certain points in the Northern States. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

35™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

(Si.vTii Reservks) 
September 2, 1890 

ADDRESS OF HALSEY LATHROP 

(COMRADES of the Sixth Pennsylvania Reserves: — We have a.ssembled on 
this historic battle-field to dedicate this monument, erected by a grate- 
j ful Commonwealth, in commemoration of your services as defenders of 
your country, generally, but especially your services on the battle-field 
of Gettysburg. 

There are two matters of regret connected with the.se dedicatory services. 
Finst, that one better qualified has not been chosen as orator, and the second, 
that more of the survivors of the old regiment are not here to participate in these 
services. 

I am no orator ; I am but a plain, blunt man. I can onlj' speak right on. to 
tell you those things that you yourselves know — point to the record you have 
made, and let it speak for me. 

In considering what might be appropriate to say on this occasion, my mind 
went back to the 27th day of July, 1861, when the one thousand men and boys 
(for many of us were mere boys) stood up and subscribed to that oath which 
transformed them from State militia to volunteer soldiers of the United States 
army. The memories of the three years' campaign of that regiment came up, 
and in my mind I followed them, first, to Tennallytown where we built that 
magnificent fort and named it after our own State. It stands to-day a monument 
of your industry and skill. Then, just as we were congratulating ourselves on 
its completion, and contemplating the ease with which we could repel any force 
that might come against us, we were moved acro.ss the Potomac, where, at 
Langley's X Roads we established Camp Peirpoint, where we entered upon that 
system of drilling which would fit us for the arduous duties that awaited us. 
and from which we sallied forth on the various foraging expeditions, one of 
which occurred December 20, 1861. and resulted in the battle of Dranesville, 
where you, with the other regiments of the brigade, achieved the first victory 
for any part of the Army of the Potomac. 

Comrades, I will not take the time to particularize, as I mention your various 
movements — your minds will readily fill in the details. The memories of the 
knapsack and other drills you underwent, and especially of the battle of Dranes- 
■^dlle, where you received your baptism of fire, no doubt clings to you with 
greater tenacity than even the mud of Peirpoint. You could not forget if you 
would, and I venture to say, would not if you could, the breaking up of Ciimp 
Peirpoint, March 10, 1862, and j'our march to Hunter's Mills and return to 
camp, near Alexandria, better known as Smoky Hollow ; then your advance 



218 Pennsylvania at Get(//shunj. 

txjwanls Miinassas, aud how easily you took that stronghold of the enemy : then, 
after a lew days, your march down the railroad to Catlett's Station. Oh, how 
hot it wiLs! and how we did unload those terrible knapsacks. 

A few days later found us encamped on the banks of the Eappahannock. at 
Falmouth, where we vied with each other in fixing up the picturesque quarters 
•which we occupied during most of the month of May. 

On June 10, just three months after we l)roke camp at Peirpoint, we boarded 
transports for a voyage down the Rappahannock, up the York and Pamunkey 
rivers to White House Landing, where our regiment was left to guard the base 
of supplies for McClellan's army, which was engaged in the Peninsular cam- 
paign, which ended with the seven days' fight. About this time an eagle flew 
into a battery of Ignited States artillery and lit on the shoulders of Lieutenant 
William Sinclair, and then it was Colonel Sinclair, of the Sixth Pennsylvania 
Reserves, who. with his family, we are glad to see with us to-day. 

You, no doubt, remember the beef you confiscated while there, the fort you 
built and what you named it, aud how rapidly you evacuated your position at 
Tunstall's Station and marched to White House Landing, where we again took 
transports for an excursion down the Pamunkey aud York rivers, and where we 
met the Army of the Potomac returning from its unsuccessful attempt to take 
Richmond, who, when they knew that the Sixth Pennsylvania had arrived they 
"thanked God and took courage." Perhaps some of yon have forgotten the 
chickens, pigs, etc., captured when you would go on picket, on the south side 
of the river ; but you .should not be too severely censured, for the beef we drew 
was so tainted with garlic that we could not eat it. Mush and milk was not 
very plenty, and even if we got the latter, behold the garlic was there too. 

After laying there a little over a month, we descended the James, crossed the 
Chesapeake Bay, ascended the Potomac, landed at Aquia Creek Landing and 
took up our march for Fredericksburg, encamping near the spot where we had 
broken camp about three months before. But we did not long remain inactive. 
The situation of affairs demanded action. The rebel army was marching north- 
ward, .so the campaign commenced which resulted in what is sometimes called 
the disaster of second Bull Run. 

I need not stop to discuss this battle or its results, enough to know that the 
Sixth Pennsylvania Reserves faithfully aud gallantly discharged every duty 
that Avas imposed upon them, and if you did not come off from that ill-fated 
field with flying colors it was because the flag-staff" had been broken by a mis- 
sile from tlie enemy ; but " our flag was still there." 

A few days later found you at Arlington Heights, Avith terribly diminished 
ranks, but full of hope and determination for the future. The rebels, flushed 
with victory, still iiursued their northward way. Now came the march through 
Maryland and Virginia, passing through a country that had not been devastated 
by the ruthless hand of war. We found rails were plenty, chickens did not 
roost .so high as in Virginia, peaches, apples and other fruit were in a most de- 
sirable conditijon as to quality and quantity. Of course orders against foraging 
were very strict, and of course you strictly obeyed those orders (?). You no 
doubt remember the orders, to ouly take the top rail of the lence. This order 
you strictly complied with, though it often happened that so many had preceded 
you at the fence that the bottom rail was the top one. 

Sunday morning, September 14, 1862, found you encamped on the banks of 
the MoDOcacv, near Frederick Citv, Maryland, with orders to "move forward." 



Pennsylvania at Gettyshirfj. 219 

You had taken a lelVeshing l)ath in the creek the niglit before, and some of you 
even went so far as to put on a clean shirt. But 1 will venture to say that a 
whole lot more of you failed to make this change, because of a lack of that very 
desirable article. You were thinking how perfectly lovely it would be to at- 
tend church in Frederick this beautiful Sabbath day, but, alas! you were under 
contract for the magnificent .sum of thirteen (h)llars a month to obey orders, 
though you perish in the attempt. The orders were," forward march!" and that 
order held good until the order to '" halt!"' was given. The order to " halt," was 
given by the enemy's guns on South Mountain, but, not recognizing their author- 
ity, you pushed forward, and ere that Sabl)atli sun had set behind the western 
hills your flag floated in triumph from the summit of Houtli Mountain, while the 
enemy, who had so .stubbornly resisted your ascent of the mountain, were very 
rapidly descending the oi^posite slope. But I must stop right here and go to 
the rear, for one of my legs went on a strike just as we reached the mountain 
top, hence your subsequent movements, until you arrived at Fredericksburg, 
are unknown to me from personal okservation. But I am assured that at An- 
tietam, three days later, you nobly played your part. Of your return march, 
through Virginia, I will not speak. At Fredericksburg you made a record that 
you can point to with pride, and had tlie adjoining division and those who 
should have suiiported you, properly seconded your efforts the history of Fred- 
ericivsburg would have read differently from what it does. 

History records how gallantly you charged across that open field, swept by 
the enemy's fire — took an advanced position and .stubbornly held it until all 
hopes of reinforcements had vanished, when, with ammunition nearly gone, 
you yielded to overwhelming numbers and sullenly retired to your original 
position. Again your humble servant was knocked out just as the long-lookod- 
Ibr reinforcements arrived, and so I must necessarily pass over your return to 
the vicinity of Washington where you remained until the second attempt of 
the rebels to invade the Northern States, which resulted in the battle of Gettys- 
burg. But I know you were rejoiced when you knew you received the order 
to march, when you knew you were to again join the Army of the Potomac in 
its attempt to repel the advancing hosts of Lee. 

Your next meeting of the enemy, in hostile array, was at New Hope Church, on 
the Mine Run campaign the latter part of November, 1863 (if we omit the little 
difficulty at Bri.stoe Station where, if memorj'^ serves me, we did not play an im- 
portant part), where your gallantry in deploying as .skirmishers, under a with- 
ering fire from the enemy, called forth, as it deserved, the compliments of the 
commander of the forces there, and excited the admiration of all who beheld 
it ; and in fact, boys, we felt a little proud of it ourselves. Our advance through 
that tangled second growth of pine and cedar, in the face of stubborn resistance 
from the enemy, you must remember well. That night, upon the skirmish 
line, in the immediate presence of the enemy, without an opportunity of making 
our usual cup of coffee, was one of the episodes of active campaigning. How 
cheerfully we yielded our position on the skirmish line in the morning, to our 
relief, and with what enthusiasm we engaged in the manufacture of a cup of 
coffee as .soon as opportunity presented itself. Then up and away for the main 
body of the Army of the Potomac, from which our brigade had been separated, 
for a short time, while on a scout with Gregg's division of cavalry. We found 
them on the banks of Mine Run, confronted by Lee's army, strongly fortified 
in a naturally strong position, and preparing for what bade fair to be the most 



220 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

desperate battle of the war. The contemplated charge was not made and we 
returned to winter quarters, near Bristoe Station and Broad liim. Your record 
in tlie Wilderness in May, 1864, is one of 

" Picket line and battle fray. 
And weary marcbing night and day," 

gloriously winding up your three years' term of service. ^Nlay 30, 1864, at 
Bethesda Church, where you probably killed more rebels in one hour than you 
killed in any one battle in which you were engaged. 

May 30, you bade your comrades, who re-enlisted and who were to ( on- 
tinue in the service with the One hundred and ninety-first Pennsylvania Xol- 
luiteers, farewell, taking with you the glorious old flag that Governor Curtin 
had given you at Tennallytown in 1861, faded and battle-torn to be sure, but no 
stripes missing, and its stars all there. You returned it to Harrisburg where 
you can .see it to-day, a silent but eloquent testimonial of your service in the 
war for the preservation of the Union. 

Thus, comrades. I have briefly spoken of what is a tithe of your service in 
putting down the rebellion. I have not spoken of the terrible lo.sses you sus- 
tained in the battles I have mentioned. That is the sad side of the picture. 
Your heroic dead lie on every battle-field on which you were engaged. 

8upix>se we could .see arrayed in line before us now, the old regiment of 1861, 
only with places vacant where would stand those who lost their lives in battle 
and died of disease during the war? What a spectacle it would present! 
Then let the survivors appear in their present condition — what a change ! 
Truly, we would say Avith the old song, 

" The boys in blue are growing gray. 
Thin grows our ranks and thinner ; 
We've faced Death's battle many a day. 
But Death to-day is winner."' 

And how many empty sleeves and missing legs? Those strong, athletic forms 
have become bowed by premature old age. The hardship of soldier life in 
camp, battle and prison pen, has done its work. . But we must not pau.se to 
contemplate, lest we be overcome with emotion. While we drop a tear to the 
memorv of the dead, let us dedicate this monument to the living. So remove 
the drapery and let there appear the record of your services and yonr losses. 
Yes, cut the strings so that all who behold may see what the Sixth renn.syl- 
vania Reserves suflered, that the "government of the people, by the people, 
and for the people, might not perish from the earth." 



ADDRESS OF COLONEL IL li. McKEAN 

COMRADES : You have met to-day on this heroic ))attle-field to perform a 
most interesting ceremony. The place where more than a quarter of a 
century ago the nio.st terrific battle was Ibught that has been recorded in 
history. Allow me to congratulate you, my comrades, that you were 
niemljers of that grand old regiment— the Si.xth Pennsylvania Reserves. 

Its officers and men were courageous in battle and courteous in civil life. Your 
timely arrival at Washington, D. C, with the other regiments of the Pennsyl- 
vania Reserves, immediately after the first battle of Bull Run, in 1861, saved 
the Capital. The Tliinl llrigade of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, consisting 



Pennsylvania af Gettyshurg. 221 

of four regiments, was a grand body of men, coninianded by that grand soldier, 
General E. U. C. Ord, who was made the lirst major-general of the l)rigade. 
Commanders Generals George G. Meade, J. F. Keynolds and Ord, you know 
were in the tirst successful engagements of the Army of the Potomac. At 
Dranesville, Va., December 20, IHfJl, Captain Eiit, commander of a company in 
the Sixth Regiment, lired the tirst shot, his company acting as skirmishers. 

The Sixth made the first charge, then ordered by General Ord to charge the 
Confederate battery under the command of the " Little Adjutant." How well 
you obeyed the order, capturing the battery and several prisoners. Your loss 
was slight — two killed and a number wounded. Among the wounded were 
Captain Bradbury and Halsey Lathrop. That was your first baptism of fire. 

Comrades, the great State of Pennsylvania has erected tliis granite monument 
to perpetuate the heroism of the members of the Sixth Regiment on this field of 
battle. A grateful people remember your heroic deeds here on that hot day, 
July 2, 1863. You with the other regiments of the Penn.sylvania Reserves. 
Third Division, Fifth Corps, arriving in on the north side of yonder Little 
Round Top, charging the advancing Confederates and driving them back to the 
point where this monument stands. You held it as you always did, .saving 
Little Round Top from capture and the field. During the three years of ser- 
vice you were in all the principal engagements of the Army of the Potomac — 
the first in and the last out. 

Comrades, j-our military liistory is written in letters of gold .so higli on the 
tablet of fame that no one can erase it, and my congratulations shall be : Brave 
in battle, chivalrous in peace and heroic in every trait that develops true man- 
hood. 



ADDRES.S OF MAJOR W. H. H. GORE 

COMRADES : — The history' made by the Sixth Regiment you helped make, 
and are as familiar with it as I am. What I aaj here, or what we do 
here, will not alter the facts as they are handed down to future genera- 
tions by the historian. I propose, on account of time, to give but a 
brief history of the regiment : 

Organized as it was, from companies recruited from the three months' service, 
the companies were all recruited in the month of April, 1861, and consisted of 
two companies from Bradford, one each from Tioga, Susquehanna, Wayne, 
Columbia, Montour, Snyder, Dauphin and Franklin counties. Owing to the 
call being filled they remained in Camp Curtin until after the pas.sage of the 
act creating the Pennsylvania Reserves, when thej' Avere organized into the 
Sixth Regiment, with W. W. Ricketts, colonel ; W. M. Penrose, lieutenant- 
colonel ; H. .1. Madill, major ; H. B. ]\IcKeau, adjutant : R. H. McCoy, quarter- 
master ; Charles Bower, surgeon, and Z. Ring Jones, assistant surgeon. They 
were sent to Greencastle and placed in a camp of instruction under Major 
Harshberger as instructor. After the di.sastrous battle of Bull Run, a call was 
made on Governor Curtin for troops, and the Reserves were rushed to Washing- 
ton ; the Sixth was the first regiment to arrive and was mustered into the United 
States service July 27, 1861, and sent to Tennallytown, D. C. While in 
this camp over one-half of the regiment was stricken with typhoid fever, greatly 
retarding the efficiency of the regiment. While in this camp the Reserves were 
formed in three brigades, the Sixth with the Ninth, Tenth and Twelfth formed 



222 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

the Third lirijiade. October 9, 18(jl, thedivihioii was moved a<!ross the river into 
Virginia and went into camp Tiear Langle}'. 

December 20, the Tliird Brigade and First Ivifles fought the l)attle ofDranes- 
viUe — gained the lirst victory for the Army of the Potomac. 

March KJ, 1862, they broke camp and marched to the vicinity of Hunters 
Mills, then back to Alexandria. In the meantime Colonel Kicketts and Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Penrose had resigned and their places were filled by William 
Sinclair as colonel and H. B. McKean, lieutenant-colonel. The quartermaster 
also resigned and A. A. Scudder was appointed. 

The division was attached to McDowell's Corps, and in April marched to 
Manassas, Catlett's Station, thence to Fredericksburg. In June they were on 
transports and went down the Pappahannock, up the York and Pamunkey 
rivers to "White House and attached to the Fifth Army Corps. The Sixth was 
halted at Tunstall's Station to guard the road and keep open the communication 
with the front. AVhile here Colonel Sinclair joined us and assumed command ; 
the left wing of the regiment was sent to White House to guard the stores ; the 
Seven Days' battle opened at Mechanicsville, and the regiment was cut off from 
the main army, and after destroying the vast accumulation of .stores, was taken 
bj^ boat, via Fortress Monroe and James river, to Harrison's Lauding, where they 
were joined by the balance of the division. The Sixth Regiment was here 
transferred to the First Brigade which now consisted of the Fir.st, Seeond, 
Sixth, Ninth and Bucktails. 

The next move was by boat from Harrison's Landing to Aquia Creek, thence 
by rail to Fredericksburg, thence by way of Kelly's Ford to Warrenton, where 
they joined Pope's armj and took an active part in the battle of second Bull 
Run. Falling back with the army to Washington they marched through Mary- 
land to South Mountain, and in that battle was on the extreme right of the 
army, and was attached to the First Corps ; at this battle and Antietam the 
regiment met with severe loss, especially in officers. Major Madill was now 
promoted to the colonelcy of the One hundred and forty-first Pennsylvania 
Volunteers, and Captain Ent was promoted to major. 

in Novejuber tlie march was again resumed, ending at Fredericksburg, where, 
on the 13th of December, the regiment, in connection with the balance of the 
Reserves, made the most gallant charge of the war. Had I time I would say 
more about this battle, but I will pass it by leaving to future historians to give 
us the honors that we that day earned. 

Our losses here were greater than any other battle we ever fought ; we were 
but a handful left for duty, and the Reserves were ordered to Washington and 
vicinity to rest and recruit, the Sixth was sent to Fairfax Station, where it re- 
mained until June, 18fi3, when it again joined the army— was attached to the 
Fifth Corps and marched for this liistoric field ; and here, on this ground, wh(*re 
we are dedicating this monument, we aided infighting the battle of Gettysburg. 
Moving with the Army of the Potomac, marching and skirmishing, we finally 
went into winter quarters at Bristoe Station. In the meantime Colonel Sinclair 
had resigned and field offices were filled by promoting Ent to colonel, Dixon to 
lieutenant-colonel and Gore to major. 

In the spring of ISGl, they took in all the fighting under General Grant, 
through the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna river to lielhesda Church, 
doing their full share of the work in that arduous (•ani])aign, ending their service 
with the brilliant victory of Bethe.sda Ciiurch. 




PMOro B^ W. H. TIPTON, G-TTysa 



PHINT : TMU F. GUTLKUNST CO., PNM 



Pennsylvania at Geti/jshnrg. 223 

And now, comrados, I have brielly sketclied the history of your regiment, its 
marches and hardships, its gallant fighting; it never disgraced itself; there 
were other regiments as good as yours, but none better. We liave met here 
to-day to dedicate tliis shaft as a monument of your valor, but your history will 
be a monument that will last as long as the American nation exists, and until 
after those stones shall have crumbled into dust. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

38™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

(Ninth Reserves) 
September ii, 18S9 

ADDRES.S OF HONORABLE ELL TORRANCE 

COMRADES of the Ninth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves : — We have 
met upon historic ground, ground as sacred as our feet will ever tread. 
For more than one hundred years Lexington and Bunker Hill have sent 
forth a resplendent light to all lovers of liberty, but to us and our chil- 
dren at least, nothing can eclipse this field of glory. 

More than a quarter of a century has pas.sed away since we last stood here. 
Then angry clouds hung over our heads, and the ground was convulsed under 
our feet with the shock of battle, but to-day the skies are peaceful, and the 
sounds of war have ceased to reverberate among these hills. 

We have met upon a most auspicious occasion, and for a ijurpose which falls 
only to the lot of patriots. I am not insensible to the honor you have conferred 
upon me. Having for more than a score of years resided in a distant Common- 
wealth, and never having had the privilege of meeting with you since the close 
of the war, it gives me inexpressible pleasure to again return to my native State, 
and once more look into your faces and bring to and receive from you fraternal 
greetings. At such a time and place as this, how inadequate is language to 
frame our thoughts, or give expression to the emotions of our hearts. 

This monument, which we to-day dedicate, though beautiful in its propor- 
tions and workmanship, is of little intrinsic value, but who can estimate what 
it cost to lay the four dations for its erection. As we look upon it Ave see and 
read much more tliau the simple and appropriate inscriptions it bears. It rep- 
resents great sacrifices — sacrifices so great that they cannot be computed — sac- 
rifices, the co.st of which lies outside the domain of any arithmetic. It repre- 
sents the scattered graves of our comrades who died in defense of their country. 
As we stand here our memories are quickened and our vision enlarged, so that 
we look back through the intervening years, as if it were but yesterdaj^, when 
Ave parted company forever with our comrades, Avho, on the field of battle, paid 
the full measure of their devotion Avith their lives. WehavegroAvn old since 
then, but their faces are unchanged. iVIanj' of them .sleep in unknoAvn graves 
that loving feet haA'e never yet been able to find, but they are not forgotten, 
and as Ave look upon this polished shaft, Ave can. underneath its shining surface, 
read the names of every one. 

True men they fell ; and faithful to the last. 

Though overpoA>'ered by death, yet still in death unconquered, 

ForeA-er sacred be their memories, 

And imperishable, their heroic names. 



224 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

History records no sacrifices more sublime than that i)f the dead of tlie vol- 
unteer armies of the United States, and this monument will bear perpetual 
testimony to tlieir devotion to a cause which they loved better than their lives. 

It stands not only for the dead, but the living as well, quickening their sense 
of duty, stimulating their patriotism, and making it impossible that the memory 
of such sacrifices should perish from the hearts of men. 

It will stand long after we have passed away, to speak with a persuasive 
voice to generations yet unborn, educating them in all that pertains to the 
safety, prosperity and perpetuity of our country, and inspiring them with an 
exalted patriotism, and an unflinching courage in the defense of her institutions. 

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has acted wisely in providing for the 
erection of these monuments and setting apart this day for their dedication, and 
in calling together her sons to bear witness to the solemn and impressive 
services. Upon this loyal soil the defiant army of treason, under General Lee, 
was defeated. Around the l)ase of these Round Tops, and upon the slopes of 
Cemetery and Gulp's Hill, broke the topmost wave of the great Rebellion. The 
beginning of the end was Gettysburg, and from the 4th day of July, 1863, the 
friends of liberty were confident of triumphant victory. Eighteen States 
were represented in the Army of the Potomac upon this famous field, and 
most appropriately we fiud the Keystone State, in the person of her soldiers, 
everywhere present in the forefront of the battle, from its commencement to 
its close. During those three memorable days her voice was never silent, and 
through cannon, musket and sabre, she spoke in defense of human rights and 
constitutional law with a power and eloquence that time will only glorify. 
Behold her three score and ten regiments of infantry, in battle array, stretch- 
ing from right to center and from center to left. See those lines of blue, with 
banners unfurled, steady and undismayed, in the whirlwind of strife. Listen 
to the thunder of her cannon as they answer the brazeu mouth of treason. Hear 
the sharp clash of sabre as her squadrons ride down to death the ruthless in- 
vader. Well may our beloved State glory in the record made by her chival- 
rous sous, and perpetuate, not only in bronze and marble, but in the hearts of 
her children, their deeds of valor and. sacrifice. As we look around us to-day, 
we are conscious that one thing yet remains to be done by the State of Penn- 
sylvania — one duty is yet unperformed, and that is the erection upon this 
battle-field of a suitable nronument to our illustrious and distinguished com- 
mander. General George G. Meade, and until that is done, the anthems of praise 
that continually ascend from these hills will never reach their sweetest and 
most complete harmony. General Meade commanded the Army of the Poto- 
mac for almost two years, or about one-half the period of its entire exis- 
tence. He was a brave soldier and a true gentleman. His patriotism was of 
the highest and purest type, and he was trusted and beloved by the entire army. 
He gave to his country, in her hour of peril, his best services, with a willing 
heart, and with rare courage and patience did he bear the heavy resixtnsibilities 
that were placed upon him. On the soil of his native state he won undying 
fame, and upon this "field of monuments," made forever sacred by the blood 
of so many of his .soldiers, should he erected to his memory, a monument that 
would bind together, and be the Keystone of them all. And with the name of 
Meade must forever stand associated the name of that magnificent soldier and 
Pennsylvanian, General John F. lieynolds. who laid down his life, as a morn- 
ing sacrifice, at the very opening of the battle. These two names are insepar- 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 225 

able and their fame is imperishable. Their tirst commands were composed 
ol a part of the Pennsylvania Reserves, and their military glory we claim as a 
part of our own i)ecnliar i^iheritance. 

Hut time will not permit me to speak of Geary on the right, of Hancock in 
the center, of Crawford on the left and of the host of brave men who filled the 
gaps between. 

As we withdraw our thoughts iVom the past and turn our faces toward tlic 
future we behold a pleasing i)rospect. We feel assured that in the providence 
of God this country is destined to occupy a preeminent place among the natioTis 
of the earth. This year marks the completion of our fii-st <;entury of constitu- 
tional liberty, and within no other period of the world's history has such pro- 
gress been made in all that pertains to the highest civilization of man. We 
are amazed when we contemplate the rapidity and solidity of the growth ot 
this republic. There is no halting in her onward march. Each generation 
pushes rapidly forward and takes a higher i)lace than the one occupied by its 
predecessor. 

Education has opened wide the door of hope and usefulne.ss to all cla.sses and 
conditions of men, and liberty has widened her domain, until, under the pro- 
tecting fold of the Stars and Stripes, representative:? of all nationalities, races 
and civilizations dwell together as free men, and you look in vain for -serf or 
slave. 

Behold this nation of American Freemen I No titled nobility, but in its 
place the true nobility of manhood and womanhood. For regal splendor and 
the moated castle is substituted the quiet home with its hearth-stone, and the 
virtues and sturdy patriotism of the common people. 

It is not ottr rulers that have made this country great — they are our servants — 
but the people themselves, who, each in his day and generation, well and faith- 
fully perfoims his allotted task. 

As we have been inspired by the example of our God-fearing, liberty-loving 
and self-sacrificing forefathers, and have been able in the hour of trial to stand 
the supreme test of loyalty to our country, so will the generations that follow 
us take new inspiration as they look upon this battle-field of monuments, and 
listen to the voice that comes in one mighty chorus from the countless graves 
of the loyal dead, imploring them to be true to the trust committed to their 
keeping. 

Tremendous was the price we paid for an unbroken Union, but it was worth 
all it cost, for who can foretell the position of power, honor and usefulness to 
which the nation may attain. Those who gave their lives that the country 
might live did so without a murmur or regret. 

Those of us who survive enjoy the consciousness of duty done. We are con- 
tent with the record as it stands, and have high hojie for the future. It will 
not be long until our work is ended and we shall finally be mustered out to 
join the mighty host that has preceded us. Soon we also shall sleep in the 
majesty of eternal repose, but we shall in our latest houi-s be sustained by an 
unfaltering trust in the stability of our institutions and in the continued pros- 
IK'rity and welfare of our beloved country. 



15 



226 Pennsylvanid uf (ti fft/s/mrg. 

ADDRESS OF ROBERT TAGGART, i:S(^). 

COMRADES: — The Legislature of our State, during the session ol' lHH<i and 
1887, piissed an act appropriating certain public moneys to be expended 
in the erection of memorials or monuments with which to mark the 
positions occupied ))y Pennsylvania commands on this battle-field. A 
Commission, composed of leading and intelligent citizens in full sympathy with 
the spirit of the act, was appointed to carry out its provisions. 

It is well known that the members of this Commission, individually and col- 
lectively, have devoted much time and careful study to the discharge of the 
duties impo.sed on them ; and yet, their actions in some instances have been 
severely criticised. Kut this is not surprising when we reflect that, in the line 
of their duty, they have been called upon to decide questions as to the locations 
o\' regiments, and other details of the battle, about which, in most cases, they 
could know nothing personally, and in the decision of which they were con- 
fronted with conflicting testimony — on the one hand that of individuals ba.sed 
solely on memory, and on the other, the published reports of the battle made 
at, or immediately after its occurrence. No doubt, in the excitement initident 
to the engagement, or, possibly, through a desire to appropriate to themselves 
and those under them, at least a lull share of the honors of victory, .some of the 
brigade and regimental commanders may have exceeded the bounds of accurate 
knowledge in making out their reports. But, at this late day, these reports, 
in the absence of positive evidence of their inaccuracy, should be accepted in 
preference to mere statements which may have percolated through twenty-five 
years of treacherous memory, and, doubtless, absorbed much of the prejudice or 
partiality of the minds through which they passed. The Commission seems to 
have been governed by this view of the matter ; and, while their actions in 
some cases may have created dissatisfaction on the j^artof a few, it will be gen- 
erally conceded that they have acted faithfully, intelligently and impartially 
in the discharge of their delicate and responsible duties, and, I believe, in the 
end, it will be acknowledged by all wlio desire to preserve intact the history of 
this battle, that so much of the act providing for the erection of these memorials 
jjs requires that all imjjortant details shall be subject to the inspection and a])- 
proval of the Commission, is a wise and an important provision — one which has 
shielded the work from much inaccurate and discordant proclamation, and im- 
parted to it something of true historic value. 

I refer to this matter for the reason that certain of the regimental committees 
of the " Reserve Corps '" — our own included — have had some di.scu.ssion, if not 
controversj% with the Commission touching the matter of consolidating the ap- 
propriations to which the respective organizations are entitled, for the purpose 
of erecting a single nu'uiorial building. You will rememeber that, at the re- 
union held in New Brighton two years ago, the committee then and there ap- 
))ointed was instructed, if practicable, to join with the committees of other regi- 
ments of the corps in the erection of a division nu'uiorial ; or, failing in that, 
to proceed and erect a regimental monument. "S'our committee made an honest 
effort to meet j'our preference in this matter; but, after a careiul studj' of the 
question in all its bearings, found they could not do so and avail them.selves 
of the State api)n)i)riation. This conclusion was arrived at by the State Com- 
mission, was sustained })y the Attorney-CJeneral of the State, and reluctantly 
accepted by your committee as the nltiniatiini for their guidance. And now, 



Prnnsyl i-diiid at (reii ifshnnj. 'I'll 

having ooinpleted the work ussijiinMl iis. vou liavc been invited to meet liere 
to-day, and 1 liave been requested, in lieliaU' of (lie cDinmit tee, tu make Ibrnial 
presentation of this monument to you. 

In di.scharging the duty wliicli tln^ partiality ol' my comrades has a.ssigned 
me, I am well aw'are there are many (^lianiiels in which our thoughts might be 
led with propriety and prolit ; Imt I led that oui- i)resenoe here, or aught that 
we might .say or do, would be l)iil enii)ty nothingness did we fail to grasp the 
true signiiicanee of Ibis oceasion. And what is this? If there is one more than 
another that we should learn as a lesson of the civil war, of which the battle 
fought here was the decisive conflict, it is that God reigns and holds within His 
hands the destinies of nations and of worlds, whilst we, If is t-reatures, are but 
instruments whereby Jlis })ower is manifest and purposi^ wrought. If we seek 
His guidance and follow His ap])oijited ways we have assurance tliat He will 
not for.sake tis : but if we strive to build a Babel tower to mock His sovereign 
Avill. there are a thousand ways whereby confusion and disaster may .set at 
naught our mightiest human eliorts. 

That "Man of destiny '"so called whose meteoric, rise from humble .station 
to an empire's throne .so astonished and dazzled the world but a century ago, 
exemplified in his brief career the hlasphemy of his own lips" utterance Avhen 
he declared that "" Providence is always on the side of the heaviest battalions. " 

In a burst of confidence he unfolded to one of the favorites of his court, the 
plan of a campaign on which he was about to enter, and spoke with arrogance 
of certain victory. Being reminded that man might propose, but that God dis- 
jjoses, he replied ""I propose and I also dis]X).se.'" Within a twelvemonth more 
than one-half of that grand arm}' of five hundred thou.sand men with which he 
invaded Russia had fallen victims to the casualties of battle or exposures of the 
march, whilst he, in advance of his retreating columns, was hurrying back to 
transfer the tidings of disaster to hopeful and expectant France : and within two 
years thereafter the "vain froward child of empire'' Avas an exile, shorn of 
power and fretting his life awaj' on a barren isle. 

From the time that the stripling .son of Jesse, with but sling and smooth 
stones gathered from the brook, went forth, in the name of Lsrael's God, to meet 
and vanquish the boasting giant mailed in brass and armed Avith sword anil 
spear and shield, on to the time when the little army of the Athenian and Pla- 
teau patriots, chanting their battle-hymn along the mountain .slopes of their 
native laud, bore down in triumph on the invading hosts, ten times their num- 
ber, of Mede and Persia, down through the ages to the time when our fathers, 
untrained and untried in the art of Avar, achieved their independence — through 
all these centuries history's pages are Avritten over Avith refutations unmistak- 
able and conclusiA'e of the Najwleonic bla.sphemy, and abound in re<;orded tri- 
umphs of men and nations engaged in seemingly hopele.ss though righteous 
endeaA'ors. 

From the sacred aisles of old "St. .John's '' in Richmond, there comes to us 
through more than a centurv' of years, the echoings of that sentiment which 
filled our fathers' hearts Avith hope and nerved their arms to action. Trusting 
not in their human strength, or martial .skill or prowess, but in firm reliance on 
the God of nations, they Aveut forth to battle in a righteous cause, Avhilst one 
Avas chosen as their leader of Avhom it has been truly said " belief in God and 
trust in an OA'erruling power formed the essence of his character." 

We speak of Gettysburg as the most important V)attle of the civil war, in that 



228 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

sec-ession here reeeiv<'(l its fatal avouikI. A wound from which it lingered, by 
virtue onlv of inherent force and courage in the hearts of those who listened to 
its siren voice and followed its deceptive l)anner. And we glory in the fact 
that he who led us on to victory here received liis first promotion as one of our 
brigade commanders — one whom we had learned to love and honor for his 
patriotic virtues, his martial skill and manly courage. Does it not increase our 
admiration for General Meade, to know that, as commander, he counselled all 
his .soldiers to reliance on an all-controlling Providence, and that h\ the hour 
of triumph he gave to (lod all thanks for victory y 

Then, comrades, as we unveil this monument which speaksof the great event 
enacted liere in years gone by. let us not exalt the human eftbrt that gave to 
Gettysburg renown, above the cause and vital principles which were at issue 
in the contest, and above all let us not forget to acknowledge with becoming 
reverence the favor of the God of nations which gave to us the victory. 

In giving special prominence to such thoughts and feelings, it does not fall 
on us that we should ignore the personal efforts, or lightly estimate the per- 
sonal sacrifices that are interwoven with the history of the war. 

It was our jirivilege to belong to a regiment which took part in the battle 
fought here, and to-day we have assembled to dedicate this monument, wrought 
from imperishable granite and erected on the spot Avhere, more than a quarter 
of a century ago, we contended for what we then believed, for what the lapse of 
time, the logic of events and the just verdict of mankind have since demon- 
strated to be right. 

It is a grand thought and glorious feeling to know that in great emergencies 
of life or of history Ave have had the privilege and embraced the opportunity of 
contending in a righteous cause. For the world's great crises are numbered not 
at stated intervals or by the changing years, but are born of epochs often hoary 
with the frosts of centuries, and to realize that we have been, though humble, 
actors in such a crisis is something that comes not in the course of every human 
lif.'. 

The battle fought here during those memorable .Inly days of 1863, was oneof 
many in a more than four-years' contest between the North and South of our 
land, Avhich lias been aptly described by the lamented and martyred Lincoln 
as a test of the endurance of human government based on the equality of man. 
In that marvellous epic delivered by liim at the dedication of the Cemetery on 
yonder heights, November, 1863, he made use of this language. 

" Four .score and seven years ago our fathcis brought forth on this continent 
anew nation — conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all 
men are created equal. We are now engaged in great a civil war, testing whether 
that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."' 

Such in truth was the nature of the conflict which took ])lace here ; and who 
can now doubt that a decision adverse to the ])rinciple for which we contended 
would have proved a dire, if not an irreparable, calamity to mankind. To have 
testified to the world that this latest and most auspicious example of i)opular 
government based on universal intelligeuce, free conscience and moral power, 
had, within the first century of its existence, generated within itself the ele- 
ments of ils own destruction, would have been to confess to the world that man- 
kind in the most advanced state of civilization and under the most favorable 
<-onditions is incapable of self-government. Our name as a nation blotted from 
the regi.stry of time would have checked the onward march of civilization for 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 229 

centuries to come, uiul the (l;uk pall of ulilivioii umild liavr (•iishroudcd alike 
freedom's glory and man's earthly liopes. 

That we were right in that contest is a feeling not only hoiiie in the inner 
consciousness of every Union soldier wlw) took part in tlie civil war, but is even 
now testified to by many of the best and l)ravest of those who differed Irom us 
in the past, and the courage of wiiose convictions was proved on many a hard- 
Ibught field. At a meeting held during the recent centennial observance in 
New York city, a noted Confederate general publicly declared his belief that 
the result of the war was fortunate for all concerned. At the same meeting the 
Governor of that State within the borders of which was first unfurled the banner 
of secession and along the shores of which re-echoed the first gun of the rebellion 
publicly said : 

■'We may have been wrong, (!od only knows, and it now does seem as though 
His decision is against us."' 

When time shall have healed the wounds and smoothed the asperities of the 
^^ar, the utterances of these two representative men of the New South will have 
become crystallized into positive truth, accepted in good faith, and glorified in 
patriotic endeavors by all citizens of the republic; and there shall be found 
none in this broad land to question the righteousness of that verdict which 
settled in all minds and for all time, the questions of the indissolubilitj' of the 
American Union. 

It is therefore a matter of intei'est to us to meet here after the lapse of many 
veal's, to dedicate this monument which testifies to where we stood in the great 
crisis of our country's history. True it speaks to us in a special sense of Gettys- 
burg ; but who can read the inscriptions of other battles in which we took no 
unimportant part, and not indulge in retrospective thought of all the thrilling 
scenes and incidents of the three-years' service of the regiment. 

One of America's gifted .sons has characterized ' ' midnight's holy hour ' ' of the 
clo.sing year as 

" A time for memory and for tears." 

If our feelings may be moved to such a depth In" reflection on the changing 
scenes and incidents of one brief year, what must be the emotions of our hearts 
a,s we contemplate to-day the most important, the most eventful period of our 
lives, between which time and this a quarter of a century has intervened. In 
memory we recount the many times Ave' ve tramped along the mountain slopes, 
across their crests and through the valleys from here to Richmond ; and as we 
review the hard.ships, the trials, the dangers, the sorrows ; and weigh them in 
the balance with the joys and hallowed recollections of those years, and see 
around us in the growing greatness and glory of our country, such grand frui- 
tion of our hopes and efforts, we might ask ourselves, would we, with knowl- 
edge of all we then endured, again enlist as soldiers should our country call to 
arms? I think I hear you answer yes, as then, from a sense of duty, but not 
otherwise. And yet as I look into your faces and see in furrowed cheeks and 
whitened hairs sad premonition of declining years, I am afraid you'd not re- 
spond to every roll-call after weary marches such as those that we were wont 
to make. But they are over — those daj^s have passed, and the great events with 
which they were prolific are written on the pages of our country's history, 
whilst the .surviving actors in the bloody drama are journeying down life's 
slope towards the setting sun. But of one thing we're assured. There is no 
regret in any soldier's heart for having served his country in that hour of danger. 



230 Pennsylvania at Gettysburfj. 

There is a well-grounded attachraent on the part of the surviving members 
of the old Ninth Kegiment to the memories that cluster around its history. 
But this is not surprising when we rellect that each member of that organiza- 
tion was animated by a spirit of patriotism, to unite in the defense of our com- 
mon country Each .shared in the common dangers of camp and held, and all 
were bound by the ties of a comradeship that were " welded in the tires of bat- 
tle." Not least among the treasured recollections of our army life is the one 
that our regiment was among the first to respond to the call of the President 
for troops. It is worth something at this time to know that the men who en- 
listed in the early days of 1861, when there was no enticement of large bounty 
b'efore, and no coercive power of conscription behind, them, represented the 
typical American soldier, the free citizen of a Iree land, understanding and ap- 
preciating the blessings and privileges, and willing to share the responsibilities 
and duties of citizenship. Of such were the men who took their first lessons in 
the school of the soldier in old Camp Wilkiiis and who were there organized as 
the Ninth Regiment of the "Pennsylvania Reserve Corps," an army in it- 
self conceived in the wisdom and created through the energy of our then war 
Governor, Andrew G. Curtin, who still lives, ripe in years, honored by all 
patriotic citizens and beloved by all surviving soldiers of the war. 

It may well give us pride now to look back on those years and feel that, 
throughout our term of service, the regiment was second to no other of the di- 
vision in the good opinion of brigade and division commanders, and that, at 
times, it pleased them to make public acknowledgment of the fact. And it must 
certainly add to our appreciation of such opinions to know that they came from 
such sources as General Meade, the hero of Gettysburg ; General Reynolds, whose 
life blood hallowed the memories of this field; General McCall, our organizer 
and first commander, and our own General Ord, under whose dashing leader- 
ship the Third Brigade won the first laurels of victory at Dranesville, that 
crowned any portion of the Army of the Potomac. These brave soldiers have 
all fought their last battles, and gone to their rewards, as have also our first 
field officers, Jackson. Anderson, and Snodgrass. May their memories be 
cherLshed by all true patriots, as I know they are by all surviving members of 
the old Ninth Regiment. But it was not only our officers and commanders who 
shed a haloof glory around the regimental history. There was to be Ibund among 
the private .soldiers a degree of intelligence, courage, patriotism and moral 
standard, at least, unsurpassed by any other similar organization of the war. 

It would be impossible, without more complete data than I have at command, 
to mention all the many conspicuous instances of gallantry and devotion to duty 
that might be gathered and woven into heroic or pathetic story if we could 
obtain I'rom friends and comrades the true heart histories of all Avho fell from 
our ranks. Of these there are a few still fresh in memory to which I may be 
permitted to refer as illustrating something of the character of the boys of the 
regiment. 

On the eve of the second battle of Bull Run a number of enlisted men, having 
been promoted for meritorious service on the Peninsula, received their commis- 
sions, with instructions to report at headquarters for assignment to duty. They 
were entitled tf). and could have claimed, their di.scharges, but with that high 
sense of honor characteristic of the true soldier and Ijrave man under all cir- 
cumstances, they declined to turn their backs on their comrades in the liom of 
imiK'uding danger, and went into that fight, carrying their guns as enlisted 



Pennsyivmda at Gettysburg. 231 

men, while they held their commissions as oHicers in their pockets. One of 
their number, the brave John Dannals, of Company A, was killed in the tight, 
while two others that I know of, who are still living, honored citizens of the 
country they helped to save, were seriously wounded. 

Just before the battle of Fredericksburg the l)riglit and brave young soldier, 
John Westlake, having been for a long time on detached service with tlie Signal 
Corps, reported to his comi>an5' for duty. I see him to-day, as he had just re- 
turned from a visit to his liome, his trim form, handsome boyish face and bright 
new uniform, ready, willing and anxious to share witli his comrades whatever 
<)f danger there might be in the line of duty. Fredericksburg was his first and 
last battle. Those who took part in the charge on tlie left of our line that day, 
will remember with what reluctant regret we relinquished the advantage we 
had gained, because of the failure to send us the needed and promised suiiport. 
Many were the brave boys who fell with Jack.scm, our general and leader in that 
terrible charge and disastrous retreat — and among them young Westlake. 
Where his body was afterwards found, there were three or four of the company 
rifles which the boy soldier had gathered and endeavored to bring from the tield, 
showing that the pledge given to the citizens of Pittsburg who had presented 
tho.se rifles to tbe company, was, with him. no unmeaning obligation, but one 
in the fulfilment of which he ottered up his lil(,>. 

The night before that same battle, Lieutenant Long, whom you all lemember, 
sat beside the camp-fire with a friend and comrade, and talked of a i)remonition 
he had that he would fall in the approaching engagement. His comrade tried 
to lead his mind away from such forebodings, but he continued to talk of his 
approacliing death, as that comrade afterwards informed me, in a brave, calm 
manner ; and the last words he said that night were : ■' 1 teel sure this will be 
my last night with the boys of the company and regiment." He had given his 
watch, letters, and other tokens of value to the hospital steward, with instruc- 
tions to send them to his mother after the battle. He fell mortally wounded 
in the front of the fight and lived but a few hours. 1 had known Reuben Long 
from the time, when, as lads in our teens, we attended the same school, and as 
boy and man he was ever noble, true-hearted and brave. It matters not what 
you or I may think of premonitions such as .so impressed his mind that night 
before the battle. This we know. As he sat beside the cam]>-tire. and calmly, 
bravely, as his friend expressed it, talked of his approaching death, he felt 
within his soul that to-morrow's sun would light his j)athway to the tomb. 
Yet, when the mist was lifted from the field of Fredericksburg, and the battle 
line was formed on that December morning, he was present at the post of duty, 
nor faltered, though he heard his death knell in the command to charge across that 
fated field. It is easy to understand how, in the whirl of the battle's mad fury, 
one may encounter and desjiise danger, or even death with all its terrors. But 
in the stillness of the night, to calmly contemplate the giving up of home, and 
friends, and kindred, and life it.self with all its hopes and joys and aspiration.'^, 
and yet, in honor's name, resolve to make the sacrifice, is something that the 
truly brave of heart, and only they, can understand. In such heroic conduct in 
the very face of death, we have a clearer view of how a brave man may approach 
his grave 

" Like one wtio wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." 

In my own company there were three brothers — -sons of a widow — one of whom, 
the brave, cheerful, noble-hearted. William Mahaffev was aniotig the first to 



232 Pennsylvania of (rettyaJmrg. 

lall in that learl'ul rliarge at Gaines Mill ; and to-day hi.s mouldering remains lie 
somewhere, in an unknown and unmarked grave, ou the Peninsula. At the 
battle of Bull Run that gallant soldier. Captain Shannon, received a leaden mes- 
.senger of death in his forehead. Lieutenant Kirkpatrick, ever foremost and 
fearless in the path of duty, was at lionie seriously wounded. The first lieu- 
tenant, complaining of .some bodily infirmity, I know not what, was at Wash- 
ington city pleading for a discharge from the service. Robert Mahafiey, one of 
the two remaining brothers of whom I have spoken, was first .sergeant and in 
command of the company. Though sufl'ering Ironi a severe wound in the arm, 
received from the flying fragment of a .shell, he refused to act on the advice of 
Dr. Phillips and go to the hospital for treatment. But, with his arm bound and 
carried in a sling, he led the company on that tiresome march through Mary- 
land, up the rugged steeps of South Mountain, and on to the battle-field of 
Antietam, where, with Snively, Swartzlander, Scott. Lemon, McLain, Vanlier, 
and other lirave boys like himself, who fell around the regimental colors, he 
poured out his life's blood in defen.se of the flag. 

Who that lay beside this stone wall when first erected will ever forget the 
piteous cries for water, that came as an aftermath of the charge in this swale, 
from the wounded Confederates Avho lay in our front. They were in armed re- 
bellion against the legally-constituted authorities of our government — sworn 
enemies of our country, bent on its destruction. But they were our brothers, 
and the ethics of our Christian civilization not only forbade that we should 
needlessly torture them, but demanded that we should use all reasonable 
measures to prevent their suftering, and there Avas common assent and appro- 
bation when Sergeant McMunu volunteered to carry to those wounded men the 
Avatfer for which they prayed. But, oh ! the cruel treacherous greeting with 
which that act of Christian charity was met, in the worse than rebel bullet that 
came crashing through his face as he bent to cool with water the burning lips 
of a Avounded helpless foe. It did not prove a fatal wound, but it would have 
been a blessing to our comrade had that bullet struck a vital spot, for who can 
measure the depth of pain and sorrow and mental anguish in which it ])lunged 
his after life, at last dethroning reason and ending in his self-destruction. 

I have spoken but of the dead, and not of the many Avounded living Avho l)ear 
in their liodies painful reminders of their deA'otion to (iountry and duty, and 
those of Avhom I havt^ .spoken were not ofiicers of e.xalted positions, command- 
ing divisions and army corps, l)ut all of them, at the time of their enlistment, 
numbered among the rank and file of the regiment. But I need not .say to you 
that there marched in the ranks of our volunteer soldiers many Avho, as to 
moral and intellectual force, social standing and all the elements of true no- 
bility of character, Aveie peers of any and niore than peers of many of those to 
whom they owed obedience in the line of dutj', and do you tell me that these 
men in the huml)ler stations Avho so faithfully and courageously performed the 
oV)ligations of their soldier life are deserving of honor or gratitude in le.ss degree 
than those Avho, by chance or favor, or even by virtue of their talents, were more 
e.xalted in j)osition 'i Though such a sentiment seems to accord Avith the spirit 
of the times 1 cannot V)elieve it. The general avIio rode at the head of the 
columns Avith groom and orderly to pildi his tent Avherein to .sleep at night did 
his duty no more and no less than the private soldier who, foot-.sore and Avcary, 
under the burden of his arms and accoutrements, marched through summer's 
heat or Aviiilcr'^ cold, content io bivouac under licavcn's blue Aault for a tent. 



Pennsylvania at Geffysburg. 233 

with but a single l)Ianket as a martial chiak in sliit>l(l liiiii iVom tlie snows, lli<- 
rains and the cliilly airs of night. 

In a letter which tlic treasurer ot'our association received I'rom the late William 
Thaw of Pittsburg, and which accompanied a liberal contribution toward the 
erection of this monument, the spirit which animated the -boys of ISGl is re- 
ferred to, though briefly, in a manner alike eUuiuent with truth and creditable 
to the patriotism of that great and good man, an<l tliis suggests a thought to 
which it is proper 1 should refer here. 

The fState, as you are aware, appropriated the sum of liftccn hundred dollars 
to each separate command that participated in this battle. Your committee, 
de^siring to erect a more imposing monument than this sum would justify, made 
an appeal, by circular letter, to members and friends of the regiment, for con- 
tributions to a supplemental fund. Mr. Thaw w ho was one ol the early patrons 
of the regiment and especially of Company A. in which he took a special in- 
terest, sent his check for a large contribution, and wrote Mr. Murdock, our 
treasurer, as follows : 

~ * * -'Meanwhile 1 send you a check lor five hundred dollars, for the 
fund for erecting a monument at Gettysburg to the Ninth Pennsylvania Ee- 
.serves, as a memorial of Mrs. Thaw to her brother, John S. Copley, killed at 
South Mountain, September 14, 18()2, and from myself also as a memorial ol' a 
large number of personal young friends who went away with the 'Pittsburg 
Rifles' (Company A) that summer morning in isfjl i^whom I, with other of 
their friends and relatives marched up Penn street by their side), and who never 
came back, leaving their bodies scattered — and in some cases unmarked — sac- 
rificed for their countrj' with an intelligent and spontaneous patriotism such as 
Avas not surpassed by any organization that went into the war." 

A few weeks ago, in a Ibreign city, tlie immortal spirit of William Thaw 
passed from earth to heaven, and but recently his body was entombed in his 
native city. While living, because of his generous spirit and unbounded chari- 
ties, he was, perhaps, the best loved man in the State of Pennsylvania, and to- 
day his memory is enshrined in the hearts of thousands, not only of those who 
were sharers of his bounty, but also those who were admii-ers of his character. 

A1.S0, widely known for large beneficence and purity of life, is the widow to 
whom, in her sad bereavement, a multitude of mourning hearts go out in sym- 
pathy ; and 'I know that the hearts of all who are here assembled will respond 
with quickened impulse to a sense of gratitude and sympathy when it is learned 
that this noble woman's present interest in our organization is born of Avhat to 
each of us is a sad but hallowed memory of the war — the heroic death of our 
brave and -worthy comrade, her brother, I leel that I but meet the wishes and 
voice the sentiments of all the comrades, when to her, and to all the friends who 
have so generously contributed to the erection of this monument. I make public 
acknowledgment of their liberality and friendly interest. 

This letter of the grand man whose I'riendship is one of the memories of which 
we may well feel proud, refers to an '" intelligent and spontaneous patriotism " 
as the inspiration that prompted the young men of the country to respond to 
the call of duty in 1861. I know there are man\' of intenselj' practical tem- 
perament, whose views of life and measure of its duties are l)Ounded by the 
narrow circle of selfish interests, desires and pleasures, wlio cannot comprehend 
the full and true meaning of '' intelligent patriotism. '" or understand how such 
a sentiment can have a dwelling ])lncc in the licnrtol man. lint, thank Cod. it 



234 I*eiinsylvaul<i at (icffiitihiirg. 

has pleased lliiu lo implant in the liearts of the great majority of His rational 
creatures a feeling that patriotism in its trne sense, as signifying those virtues 
■which grow out of a love of country, is as much a divine attribute in the human 
soul, as is that love to God and humanity, on which the Master assures us. 
"hang all the law -and the prophets." .Sentiment it may be, and doubtless is, 
but not such according lo Ilumeand his class of metaphysicians — a mere feeling — 
but rather a resultant of the co-operation of rational power and moral feeling. 
Why, I can no more conceive of those young men — boys in years, but men in 
deeds — whose familiar forms rise in memory before me to-day, as I have seen 
them in the hour of deadly conflicts, their pale fixces seamed with the smoke and 
sweat of battle — doing, daring, dying for their country. I can no moreconceive of 
them as being actuated In- a wild and irrational impulse or unreasoning sentiment 
•when they exchanged tlie cDinforts of good homes and the companionships of kind 
friends, for the rough, bare and common dangers of a soldier's life, than I can 
conceive of them as being moved by mercenary considerations in abandoning 
protitable and congenial employments for the distasteful and profitless calling 
of arms. Say if you will, that they were moved by sentiment. It was such an 
one as has been the inspiration of martyrs and patriots in all ages of the world, 
when they have counted their lives as nothing in comparison with their convic- 
tions of right and the demands of duty. Such a sentiment as has proved an in- 
spiration to the noblest deeds of philauthiopy, of which the world lias had 
knowledge, and through which mankind has been blessed. 

The liberal contribution which accompanies this letter from our honored 
friend, whose lips are now sealed in death, coming as it does as the joint gift of 
husliand and wife, suggests a thought which very seldom receives that consid- 
eration its importance demands, and this is, that there were heroines as well as 
heroes in our civil war ; and they apart from the many noble women, whose 
heaven-born mission led them as ministering angels to hospital and battle-field. 
where with tender loving care they nursed the sick, or prayed beside the couch 
of dying soldier boy. 

We are apt in estimating the cost as well as in apportioning the honors of the 
civil war, to become so absorbed in the financial and military problems wrought 
out in halls of legislation and on the battle-field to overlook the patient, though 
silent, infiuence that went out from the home circles of our laud, Avhere mothers, 
sisters, wives and sweethearts toiled with willing hands and prayed with fer- 
vent spirits in our behalf Many of you have heard one of our comrades tell 
how, having enlisted when under age, his father tried to prevent him from con- 
tinuing in the .service. During his first visit to camp the father failed to shake 
the boy's purpose, and the day following he returned, bringing his wife along 
to plead for their .son's return. Failing again to make the desired impression, 
and finding that a threat to exercise his legal authority to compel the boy to 
return home was of no avail, the father turned in despair to the little woman at 
his side. Ueaching up and placing her haiuls on the broad shoulders of her 
bo}', she said :' ''My son, you are dearer to me than the apple of mine eye, and 
yet if you feel it to be your duty to enlist and should lail to respond to your 
country's call, in this hour of the tuition's peril, all I can say, is, you would 
then have none of vonr mother's lilood in your \«!ins." 

Who can tell how mucli that feeling of patriotism referred to in the letter of 
William Thaw as the animating spirit of tlie boys of 1861 was inspired, en- 
couraged and cmitmlled by tlie loyal women of our land, and to what extent its 



Pennsylvania at Geiiyslniry. 235 

siwutaneity was owing to their active earnest synipatlij' and ettbrts. An<l is it 
not true that the tiresome niarcli was made with less latigue, that privations 
were borne more willingly, and dangers encountered with courage strengthened 
because of loved ones praying for our safety and the triumph of our cause? 

We rejoiced that they were far rcmoNcd from the scene of conflict and were 
blessed with comforts to us doni(i(i : luit he lias yet to learn the depth and 
power ot woman's love, who knows not. that, in sleepless nights, in anxious 
fears, in patient waitings and in Intter sorrow for tlie loved ones lost, they suf- 
fered more than tongue can tell. God bless these mothers, sisters, wives and 
sweethearts of the war in whose approving smiles and sympathizing hearts we 
found such patient inspiration in the i)ath of duty and the hour of danger. 

Eut, comrades, the hours of the day are passing, many years have come aiul 
gone since first we looked upon the field of Gettyshurg ; and this is, perhaps, 
the last time that, as an organization, we shall gather here. 

Without pretense to powers of divination, I think I nuiy safely .say your 
minds have largely dwelt to-day upon the strange and striking contrast be- 
tween the scene as here pre.sente(l and that which met the view when first we 
came upon this field. Then this ground, crimsoned with the mingling blood 
of friend and foe, trembled beneath the .shock of battle as hostile Ibrces charged 
and counter-charged across the.se fields. These hills were ablaze with the very 
flame of death as it belched from cannon mouth. The air was rent with can- 
non roar, with shriek of bursting shell and whistling bullets sound, all playing 
to the sad accompaniment of moan, and groan, and prayer, and imprecation from 
the lips of wounded, dying men, while from out the pandemonium, none knew 
how soon might come to him the summons to 

" Take his chamber in the silent halls of death." 

To-day the air is filled with peaceful sounds and odors. The ripened harvests 
have been gathered from the fields where the reaper death mowed with bloody 
.scythe and fiendish joy the cannon's swath. The chirp and song of bird are 
undisturbed by gun report or shout of hostile army, and everywhere around we 
may see a token of that promised coming of the Lord, when sword and spear, 
the implements of war, .shall be beaten into share of plough and pruning hook. 
"When nation shall not lift np sword against nation, neither shall they learn 
war any more." 

Until Ave shall behold the glory of this prophetic vision, may we not indulge 
the hope and prayer that never again may we be called upon to resort to the 
<head arbitrament of arms to defend the honor of our country's flag. 

A nd now, comrades, as we part to-day, what thought or les.son of the hour shall 
we take with us to our homes to ,«erve as an incentive to renewed devotion in 
the line of patriotic duty? 

When the first great leader and lawgiver of the children of Israel was laid 
to rest, " in a vale in the land of Moab," Joshua, his successor, directed, as the 
hosts were passing over Jordan, in the presence of the priests who bore aloft the 
ark of the covenant of the Lord, that twelve men be chosen — one from each of 
the tribes that had journeyed in the wilderness, and that these men take, each, 
a stone from the bed of the river where the bearers of the ark had stood, and 
that these stones be carried to the place on the east side of Jordan where they 
should encamp that night, and be there erected as a memorial unto the children 
4)f Israel forever. Not as testifying to the courage and endurance of the chosen 
people who had wandered tor forty years in a barren land, luit as testifying to 



236 l'<nn.syh-aitla af Gclfysburg. 

thf luightiiie.ss of Ood and liis laithruliie.ss in tlic Hiltilini-iir of his inoini.s&s. 
And when the stones were placed as diiected, Joshua spake unto thy people 
saying : 

"When vour <liil(lren shall ask theii- fathers, in time to eome, saying what 
mean these stones? 

"Then >e sliall let your children know, sayinji. Israel came over this Jor- 
dan on dry land." 

"That all tlie people ot tlie earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it 
is mighty." 

Standing within the shadow of these hills which were silent witnesses of the 
contest waged here in the ever-to-be-remembered past, and in the presence of 
this monument which speaks of where we stood in that hour of trial and dan- 
ger, and seeing the scitlptured granite with which this tield is dotted, may we 
not imagine our children and our children's children in the years to come, ask- 
ing their lathers, as did the Israelitish children of old : "Whatmeanthe.se 
stones?" 

Truly may it be said to them that " the hand of the Lord is mighty '' and 
though they may not be told that their lathers " came over this on dry land," 
but rather on ground drenched with the blood of wounded and .slain comrades, 
yet may it be said they stood here devoted to the cause of human liberty and 
upholding the " Ark of our Covenant" of Perpetual Union ; and if ever the un- 
righteous hand of political ambition shall again remove that ark from oitr midst 
may worse than Assyrian calamities afflict the plunderers till our treasure be 
re.stored. If ever the genius of human liberty be driven from our shores, like 
Noah's dove may she tind no rest for the soles of her feet until she return and 
tind a glad people ready and willing to receive, to cherish and to love her. 

As testifying to the restoration of that Ark of our Covenant — to the re-en- 
thronement of that presiding genius of our nation, and to the heroic endeavors 
of those who, under God's favor — ^though it may have been in tears, in sorrow 
and blood, wrought out the triumph of a righteous cause, may this monument 
remain a memorial unto your children lorever. 



ADDRESS OF SERGEANT-MAJOR A. P. MORRISON 

TWENTY-SIXyearshaveswiftly roUedaway, old comrades of the " Ninth," 
since w(; stood here on this very spot in battle line, bearing our part 
in that momentous three-days' struggle between the armies of the 
North and South, which hi.story has already recognized and recorded as 
one of those great battles of the world, which change or fix and determine the 
destinies of nations, and the character of their civil institutions for all tinie. 

Here, on this bloody field of Getty.sburg, the surging tide of " Secession '' was 
stayed and turned l)ack, and the "'vinion " of these states was saved from im- 
pending dissolution, and for all time made sure and strong. Here tlie most 
costly sacrifice of patriot blood was jjoured out a willing offering liy the nation's 
sons, to the end tliat this great nation might live, and continue to live on and 
on, "to the last syllable of recorded time." 

Yes, comrades, the "Ninth" stood here then, in name and fame strong as in 
other days of Viattle, to meet the foe — Vjut in numbers how reduced. Where 
now — in this the v<'ry crisis of the great conflict — wheie no\\-, are those fen hun- 



Pennsiflvama at Gettysbuyij. 237 

dred men and more, who two short yoais before had niarchcMl beneath the l)at- 
talion banner of the 'Xintli," with l)Ounding hearts and buoyant step, away 
from home and friends, and all the Joys of peaceful life, to battle for the right? 

Here, but a handful of those brave ones stood to meet the onset of the in>- 
petuous foe, whose feet had dared invade the borders of their native State. 
Where had the others gone? Let Dranesville tell ; let the gory fields of the seven- 
days' fight from Beaver Dam to Malvern Hill make truthful answers. Let the 
fierce fighting in the Pope campaign from Rappahannock's l)anks to Chantilly's 
woods be heard — letSouth Mountain and Antietam mournfully reply ; and Fred- 
ericksburg with solemn voice from hill and i)lain. report the numljer of the 
fallen there — let all the wearing marches and the exhausting toils of duty in the 
field, whether the summer sun was scorching, or the frosts and piercing winds 
of winter chilled the lonely picket's blood — let all that this imports of hardship 
and physical disability and sickness unto death, make up account for the absent 
ones on this great day. 

Ah, comrades, what a small space of ground among these grey and rugged 
loi-ksand boulders, could our good regiment cover and fight for and defend when 
the "battle was set in array," on that second and third day of July, 186:^. Its 
ten companies, all told, could only place about three hundred men in line. 

We believed in the inherent and ever-abiding justice of the cause for whi<;h 
we lought. We felt in our inmost being, then, as ever, that, 

" Right is right— since God is God, 
And right the day must win ; 
To doubt would be disloyalty. 
To falter, would be sin." 

And, notwithstanding its depleted ranks, the "Ninth" went forward iio its 
place in the line of battle, as steadily and firmly as if it had been itself a whole 
ai ray corps. 

In the Gettysburg campaign the glory of our regiment, and of the brigade as 
\\ell, consisted not so much in what might be called the actual clash of arms 
in conflict with the rebels, as in its always getting to the right place, however, 
perilous that place might be, at the right time — however long and exhausting 
the marches, the effort might require, and in its tenaciously holding the position 
to which it was assigned, against the very flower of the Confederate army. 

The march from the defenses of Washington, begun on the 25th of June, to 
the battle-field of Gettysburg, not far from Little Round Top — taking into con- 
sideration the frequent, almost incessant, rains, and the heav}' and slippery con- 
dition of the roads — was a very remarkable one indeed. It tested the vigor and 
endurance of the men to the utmost limit of their strength. If in the daj'time 
we moved slowly and with difficulty through lields and woods, guarding, it 
miglit be, long trains of ammunition and supplies or batteries of heavy guns, 
which occupied and oftentimes blocked up the soft and deeply-rutted roads, 
-when the sun went down we were pushed forward tar into the night to make 
up for our retarded progress in the day. 

To you, all soldiers of the "Ninth," I need not enter into details of that seven- 
days' march. Here, on this historic spot, where its goal was reached, it comes 
back to every mind, with all its incidents fresh and vividly as if a thing of 
yesterday. But you will bear with me while I read from the dim and faded 
pages of my own little pocket diary these few brief extracts of memoranda re- 
lating to that march ; 



238 Pennsi/Jvauia at Gfitysburg. 

June 24tli. l>(j;>. Our legiiueut ■was lying (juictly at Vienna. 

On the evening ol" that day we got orders to rejoin our brigade at Upton's 
Hill some eight miles back. We marched about 9 o'clock and reached our 
destination a little after midnight. 

Thursday. .J\ine 35th. The ''Ninth" inarching with the brigatle at 1 
o'clock p. ni., moved out in the direction ol' Vienna on the same road we of the 
"Ninth" had come in on the night l)etbre. and halted not far from where we had 
V)een encamijed. This marching up the liill simply to marcli down again did 
not seem exactly right to our boys. It meant for them si.xteen miles of un- 
necessary tramping through the rain. 

Friday, 26th. Reveille at 4 o'clock in the morning ; on the march at (i. 
Kaining hard all day ; roads very slippery and heavy. Made about sixteen 
miles and halted in the evening at Goose creek not very far from Edwards' 
Ferry. 

Saturday, 27th. Reveille at 4 o'clock ; to inarch at "). Crossed the Poto- 
mac at Edwards' Ferry on a i)ontoon bridge and foiind ourselves once more in 
Maryland, a part of Hooker's army. Day showery and roads muddy. Halted 
at night near the mouth of the Monocacy river having made at least fifteen miles. 

Sunday, 28th. Reveille at 3.30; on the march at 5; ci'ossed the Monocacy ; 
day cloudy with a little rain ; joined the Fifth Array Corps ; our '"Pennsyl- 
vania Reserves " having been assigned to that corps on the request of General 
Meade, its theii commander ; halted near Frederick after marching about 
twelve miles. Here we learned of the appointment of General Meade to the 
command of the "Army of the Potomac." Great news this for us of the 
Pennsylvania Reserve Corp.s. We were proud to know that one of our own 
generals, one for whom we felt that wc had won the "stars," should be placed 
in this very highest position in the army in the very crisis of the nation's fate. 

We had confidence in him for we knew him 1o be an energetic. l)rave, cool 
and determined leader. 

Monday. 29th. Reveille again at 4 a. in. ; the "Ninth" fell in about 8, 
but did not move forward until about 1, and then marched slowly all the 
afternoon ; the day was rainy and the road was filled up with wagon trains ; 
aV)Out 6 o'clock in the evening the road was cleared before us and we started 
off almost on a "double quick ;" crossed the Monocacy and turned dire(;tl} 
northward towards Pennsylvania, marching over very bad country roads • lialted 
about midnight, having made .some fifteen miles. 

Tuesday, June 30th. Reveille at 4 o'clock ; it rained on us very liard last 
night and this morning ; marched at 7 a. m. : found the road exceedingly 
heavy and slippery ; pas.sed through Liberty, Johnsville, Union Bridge, I'nioii, 
and halted near Union Mills, having made a big day's march, not le.ss than 
twenty miles ; the "Reserves" are all in high spirits about going into Penn- 
sylvania. 

Wednesday, July l.st. On the march by 0.30 this morning, moving lathei 
slowly all day ; cro.ssed the State line into old Pennsylvania about 4 p. m. amid 
glad cheering and loud hurrahs ; heard the dull boom of distant cannon from 
time to time, V)ut did not then know tliat the great battle was already on : 
about 0.30 o"clo(;k in the evening the division was massed, rations were issued 
and extra ammunition distributed to the men, and all signs indicated a coming 
fight ; there was not much rest in this short halt, and by 8 o'clock we were 
again on the move : marched on without sloi)ping until about 2 o'clock ol the 



Peiinsylvama at Gettysburg. 239 

morning of tlip :2(1, lialtinji ;v1 last, al'ti r jnissinf; throujih Hanover, near Mc- 
Shen-ystown. 

Thursday, July 2d. Alteronly two hours re.st, reveille at 4 a. ni., and niarclied 
immediately without waiting even to make a cup ol collee. Pretty hard 
this, but the weary men now understanding that the emergency was pres- 
sing, and forgetting the want of much-needed sleep and food and rest, pu.shed 
forward cheerfully and eagerly towards what they knew must be a bloody battle. 
After marching about an hour we were halted long enough to make our 
coffee, and then once more moved rapidly forward until about 10 o'clock we 
reached Rock creek, some two miles southeast of the town of (lettysburg. Here 
we learned of the disixstrous fortunes of the preceding day to the Union forces, 
and worst news of all, the untimely death of one of our best loved generals, one 
whom the Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps was proud to have claimed 
as its own commander — the beau ideal soldier, the gallant General Reynolds. 

From 7 o'clock a. m., of July 1st to 11 o'clock on the 2d, twenty-eight hours, 
with only about three hours given to sleep and rest, our regiment had marched 
forty-two miles. Is it any wonder that when the halt was sounded the weary 
men threw themselves upon the ground, under that burning July sun and slept 
away the hours, while the battle was preparing? 

About 4 o'clock in the afternoon the tiery storm suddenly burst in fierce 
fury on Sickles' Third Corps. Immediately the Fifth under Sykes was hru'ried 
forward to the succor of the Third, then badly broken up and forced back in shat- 
tered fragments from its too-far-ad vauced position. It must have been about 
o o'clock when our division, the Third of Hykes' Corps, under the gallant Gen- 
eral Crawford, passed over the crest of the ridge out yonder to the right of Little 
Round Top, aud first came under fire. How vividly the fearful scene of that 
dread hour comes back to you old soldiers of the "Ninth,"' as you now look out 
over yonder quiet woods and peaceful fields. The sun, a dull, red ball of fire, 
was going down "wrapped in drifts ol lurid .smoke." The appalling roar of 
cannon ; the screaming shells exploding in mid-air ; the sharp rattling and con- 
tinuous crash of infantry firing ; the charging masses of the enemy ; the broken 
columns of our side slowly falling back, contesting every foot of ground, and 
yielding one' position only to make a more stubborn stand for another ; the whole 
atmosphere thick and heavy with the sulphurous smoke of battle. Yon field 
of ripened grain just ready for the harvest, "blasted below the dun hot breath 
of war ' ' 

Oh, comrades, it was not a cheering scene that then opened on our view. On 
the contrary, we might truly .say that at that moment "disaster stared us in 
the face." The two brigades of United States Infantry, the "Regulars." had 
just advanced across yon piece of level ground, while oui- two brigades of Penn- 
sylvania Reserves, by General Crawford's orders, were "massed in column l)y 
division," in the open space just north of this rocky spur of Round Top. 

Vincent, and O'Rorke, aud Hazlett, and Weed, with their gallant commands. 
had. but a few moments before Avrestcd this master-post of Little Round Top 
from the grasp of Hood. 

But, oh ! at what a cost ! Vincent and O'Rorke. Hazlett aud Weed, all lour, 
laj' dead upon this mount of glory. 

The question then was, could the survivors of the terrible struggle to secure 
this vantage ground, thus bereft of all their leaders, could they withstand an- 
other impending chai-ge of the now exulting rebels? The stake was great, too 
great to be left iu doubt. 



240 Pennfif/lrania at Gettysbuty. 

Humphreys was "■ {liangiiig front to the rear,'" but to no <rood purpose. 
Sweitzer's Brigach- fiercely iK'set on its flank anil rear was forced from its posi- 
tion. The ' ' Regulars, ' ' attacked in front and tlank, were compelled to fall back. 

You all remember how they looked. How firmly they held themselves to- 
gether, firing and falling back, firing and falling back, their front diminishing 
at every volley until only one-half of their charging column was left to fire ! 

It was just at this critical moment that our gallant General Crawford put his 
two brigades of Penusylvania Reserves in motion, our Third Brigade in front. 
Advancing rapidly we were very soon within range and under a heavy fire from 
the enemy. But we had not gone more than fifty yards when the urgent call 
for re-inforcement for the lew survivors of the gallant regiments that had at such 
a heavy cost plucked Little Round Top from the clutch of Hood and his Con- 
federate veterans, and who now crippled, and exhausted by the deadly struggle, 
their leaders cold in death, still lying where they fell, awaited among these 
rocks and on this rugged hill, the still more desperate charge the baffled rebels 
were preparing to overwhelm their decimated ranks and seize this granite key 
of the battle-field — reached General Crawford. He was not slow in responding 
to the call. Ours, the leading brigade, was halted and ordered to go at once to 
the succor of the exhausted comrades of the Vincent and O'Rorke's commands. 
Without a moment's delay, the Fifth, Ninth, Tenth and Twelfth Regiments of 
Reserves changed direction and moved by tlie left flank, almost on a double- 
quick over the hill, to this, its western slope, and joined the remnant of Vin- 
cent's Battalion. The movement was in the very nick of time. The plan of 
Hood and Law, to seize this '" coigneof vantage,'' was foiled, for with the acces- 
sion of Fisher's Brigade to the gallant men who had so desperately fought for 
and so tenaciously held this almost impregnable position, any new attack would 
be madness, and could only result in a repulse more sanguinary and crushing 
than the first had ))eeu. 

Little Round Top. found and proclaimed by Warren to be the key to the 
•whole Union battle line, was saved — and safe — for General Meade, whatever 
might Ijefall on other portions of the field. 

A little later when darkness had settled over these woods, the Fifth and 
Twelfth Regiments were taken by Colonel Fisher, with other troops, to drive 
the enemy from Round Top and occu})y its lofty summit, while the Ninth and 
Tenth were left to hold and guard this gap which Hood and Law had deemed 
their open gateway to our left and rear. We did not then know the supreme 
importance of the position we had to protect, but we do know now froTU Gen- 
eral Hill's official report that " Hood's right was held as in a vise.'' 

About 10 o'clock that night, our line being establislied and our pickets set 
a few yards in advance, we lay down, each soldier in Iiis place and "' with all 
his armor on " ready for any night attack the rebels might attempt ; and not- 
withstanding an occasional shot from a picket post to remind us of impending 
danger, and the pitiful moaning of tlie wounded all around us, we slept as only 
exhausted soldiers can. With the earliest dawn of day on July :5d, our line was 
up and on the alert. How vigorously you all worked, comrades, on tliis stone 
wall ! A labor of love it was, of love of liie, of honor, of country ; for well you 
knew how this low breast-work, rude and rough in form, might help to gain and 
save them all, in the .storm i>f battle tliat then seemed sure to burst upon u^ 
ere the sun was high. 

And here we lay all that long summer day awaiting calmly, yea hoping, for 



P('inis///va)ii(( at Gettysburg. 241 

the charginfi columns of the rel)el.s. But no attack in force was made on our 
position. Skirmish tiring in our front and tlie crack of the sharpshooters' rifh> 
were the only sounds of war tliat l)roke the stillness of these woods, until, sud- 
den Jis a flash of lightning in the sultry afternoon, these "rock ribb'd hills '" 
were made to shake and quiver by that terrific roar of three hundred cannon 
thundering from the opposing lines. Oh ! how great and grand it was, and yet 
how dreadful. These rocks and woods that seemed to promise refuge and safety 
became an added element of danger when the iron hail that filled tlie air cut off 
large limbs from these tall trees and hurled among us granite fragments when- 
ever a heavy round .shot struck and .shattered some protruding boulder. But 
with all that fearful .shelling the casualties in the Ninth were very few. The 
records show we had but two men killed and live men wounded in this great 
battle. 

But the wounding of one of our comrades, one who but lately, " after life's 
fitful fever," has gone to his long rest, was an incident of that day whicli may 
have special mention. Here it was, right here, that brave and generous Ser- 
geant McMunn of Company G, moved only by an impulse of pity for a suftering 
man, laying aside his gun and holding up his hand in token that he went only 
on a deed of peace and mercy, stepped out from the protection of our wall of 
stones, to carry to the parched lips of a sorely wounded foe, a cup of water. 
And while bending over the death -stricken body of the rebel soldier in this 
ministration of pity and compassion, a bullet from the rifle of some ruthless 
rebel sharpshooter hidden in the tree top crushed through his face. It was a 
most dastardly deed ! But sudden and sure vengeance followed on the instant, 
and the rebel miscreant fell pierced by more than one ball from the sergeant's 
comrades of Company G. 

The battle ended with the setting sun of that third day of mighty conflict 
and "slaughter, and victory at last rested with the side which was contending 
for the righteous cause of our national unity and the perpetuation of that bene- 
ficent system of government which had been handed down to us, a precious 
legacy, by the patriotic fathers, the wise and far-seeing statesmen and sao-es of 
the old revolutionary times. 

When the morning sunlight gilded these mountain heights and rugged rocks 
and spread in splendor over all these blood-stained plains and ridges on that 
4th of July, 1863, the ever-joyous anniversary of our nation's natal day. the 
nation's existence which had been ruthlessly threatened and imperiled bv its 
Confederate enemies, was once more firmly established on its sure foundation, 
its underlying corner-stone, strong and enduring as this great rock of Round 
Top under whose shadow we now stand — that ever-living principle which aj)- 
peals to the common sense of the common people among all races and in all 
times — the principle, namely. " of government of the people, by the people, for 
the people." 

That, comrades, was the great stake for which we of the Union army battled 
here and on a hundred other glorious fields all over the I'nion's wide extended 
realm. 

And may I not now, after the lapse of these many years, adopt the l)eautiful 
language of Edward Everett, the venerable and eloquent orator on the occasion 
of the dedication, a quarter of a century ago, of yonder National Cemetery to the 
sacred dust of the martyr heroes who gave up their lives, ''that wheresoever 
throughout the civilized world the accounts of that great warfare are read, and 
16 



242 Pennsylvania at Gettyshurf/ 

down to the latest period of recorded time, in the ulorious annals of our common 
country, there will be no brighter page than that which relates The Battle of 
Gettysburg.''' 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

. 39™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

(Tenth Reserves) 
September 2, 1890 
ADDRESS RY GEORGE W. McCRACKEN, ADJUTANT 

COMRADES and friends :— It is unnecessary for me to remark that the time, 
to which lam limited on thisoccasion, entirely precludes anything that 
could be fairly denominated history. The history of the Tenth Regi- 
ment would require a volume of several hundred pages. What I offer 
is a brief sketch of its organization, what might be called an itinerary of its 
campaigns, and a few .statistics. 

During the month of June, 1861, there assembled in the old "'Fai" Grounds," 
on Penn street, in Pittsburg (for the time-being called " Camp Wilkins") seven 
companies of young men, who had enrolled themselves, at as many different 
places, scattered over territory embraced in six of the counties of western Penn- 
svlvania. Three others of the same make-up had, at the same time, come to- 
gether at Camp Wright, at Hulton Station, about ten miles up the Allegheny 
river. On the 28th of June these companies were organized as a regiment of 
infantry. John S. McCalmont of Venango county, was colonel : James T. Kirk 
of Washington county, lieutenant-colonel, and Harrison Allen of Warren county, 
major. This organization was designated by the Governor of Penn.sylvania, 
" The Tenth Regiment of Infantry of the Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps. " 
The Pennsylvania Reserve Corps was a military organization then being formed 
in pursuance of an act of the general assembly, approved May 15, 1861, and 
designed primarily for the defense of the State, but subject at any time to be 
called into the service of the United States. 

To bring the regiment into one camp, the companies at Camp Wilkins. wliich 
were those known during their service as Companies A, B, C, D, G, I and K, 
marched on the afternoon of July 1. to Camp Wright. 

In Camp Wright, along with Colonel J. W. McLane's old Erie Regiment, and 
the Ninth and Eleventh regiments and Battery B. of the Pennsylvania Reserve 
Corps, the Tenth was exercised in drill and instructed in guard duty until the 
afternoon of July 18, when it marched aboard a train of twenty-one cars. and. 
after an all-night ride over the Penn.sylvania railroad to Huntingdon, and thence 
over the Huntingdon and Broad Top railroad, landed at Hopewell. Bedford 
county, Pa., next morning. 

In afternoon nuirched to Bloody Run, near Everett ; next evening marched 
back to Hopewell ; again took the cars ; about midnight were bountifully fed l)y 
the good ladies of Huntingdon, and shortly after daylight, July 21, 1861 (day of 
battle of Bull Run), landed in Harrisliurg. jnit up at Camp Curtin. That after- 
noon the regiment was mustered into the service of the United States for the 
term of three years, being the first of the Penn.sylvania Reserve Corps so mus- 




fHOTO. CY '.v. H. TIPTON. GETTVSCI 



PRINT: THE F. GUTEKUNST CO.. PHiLA. 



Pennsylvania at Gettt/tihurg. 243 

teied. The mustering officer was lieutenant-colonel, afterward General T. AV. 
Sherman, United States Army. On the afternoon of 22d, again marclied aboard 
the cars, and next morning at an early hour arrived in Baltimore. INIarched 
across the city with muskets loaded, and camped for a night at Mount Clare. 

Late in the evening of .July 24, the regiment embarked on a train of box 
cars, and in the night arrived at the Baltimore and Ohio railroad station, in 
Washington. In and around the depot the men made themselves as comfortable 
as circumstances would allow until noon, then bivoucked lor two nights on the 
Capitol grounds (then enclosed by a high fence), near the northeast corner of 
the Capitol building, and then cami)ed a few days on the commons near Eastern 
Branch of Potomac. On the 5th of August, marched up Pennsylvania avenue 
and out through Georgetown to Tennallytown. The day was intensely hot, and 
probably more of the men suffered from exhaustion and the effects of heat 
on this short march (six or seven miles), than on any other day in tlie history 
of the regiment. At Camp Tenally the Tenth Regiment remained more than 
two months, occupied in drilling, guard and picket duties. Ijuildiug fortifica- 
tions, being reviewed, etc.; included in this time, one week. August 13-20, 
was employed as advanced guard at Great Falls. The marcli to that place was 
made in a terrible down-pour of rain, the old turnpike being flooded in many 
places, some of them several feet in depth. 

The entire Pennsylvania Reserve Corps was assembled at Tenallytowii, Gen- 
eral George A. McCall commanded the division, which was organized as three 
brigades, commanded respectively by Brigadier-Generals John F. Reynolds, 
George G. Meade and Colonel .Tohn S. McCalmont. Colonel IMcCalmont continued 
in command of Third Brigade which was constituted of the Sixth, Ninth, Tenth 
and Twelfth regiments, until November 20, 1861, when Brigadier-General E. (). 
C. Ord was assigned to its command. Of this brigade the Tenth Regiment con- 
tinued to be a part during its entire term of service. 

October 9, 1861, the Pennsylvania Reserves crossed the Potomac, at Chain 
Bridge, and first trod the soil of Virginia, few of the boys dreaming how much 
tbey were to come in contact with that sacred article during the three j-ears 
that were to follow. The division now encamped at Langleys, on the Old 
Georgetown and Leesburg pike, called their camp "Camp Pierpont,'" and oc- 
cupied it just five months, engaged in drill, guard and picket dnty, with occa- 
sional variety in the way of expeditious beyond the lines to obtain infornuition 
of the enemy or gather forage. Sometimes these encountered similiar parties 
of the enemy. Of these encounters the most important occurred at Dranesville. 
December 20, 1861. Ord's Brigade, that day, met a brigade of rebels com- 
manded by the famous cavalry leader, J. E. B. Stuart, and in the engagement 
which followed, the enemy, consisting of the First Kentucky, Sixth South Caro- 
lina, Tenth Alabama and Eleventh Virginia regiments, Avere very decidedly 
worsted. General Stuart reported his loss as forty-three killed, one hun- 
dred and forty -three wounded and eight mi.s.sing. The loss on our side was 
seven killed and sixty-one wounded. Of the Tenth Regiment only one platoon 
of Company B, and the Pioneersunder command of Captain Thomas IMcConnell 
were engaged, and they were so fortunate as to meet with no loss, though per- 
forming well a very important part, and occasioning great loss and demoraliza- 
tion to the enemy. This detachment was sent by Colonel McCalmont to ob- 
serve and if opportunity offered attack the right flank of the enemy. It suc- 
ceeded in getting possession of a washout or ravine in the thick ]nne woods, 



244 Pennsylvania at Getty sburg. 

close u]) OH the flank ol' tlu' Kleventh Virginia and Tentli Alabama regiments. 
which were engaged with the Bucktails in their front, and at once opened a 
very destructive lire, which doubtless hastened the dei)arture of those regiments 
from that part of the Held. 

On the 10th of March. 18tJ:>, participating in the general advance of the Army 
of the Potomac, the division moved out to Hunter's Mills ; Centerville and the 
line of Bull liim having been abandoned by the rebels, the I'ennsylvania Re- 
serves w^erc ordered to Alexandria, and marched to reach that destination by a 
circuitous route, over fi^elds of mud, during a day of constant snow and rain. 
This march was always remembered as one of the times of unmitigated discom- 
fort and exposure, in the experience of the regiment. The division halted near 
Fairfax Seminary, being assigned to the First Army Corps, of which Major-Geu- 
eral Irviu McDowell was commander, and remained near Alexandria while tlie 
other corps were embarking for the Peninsula. The First Army Corps was 
originally composed of the divisions commanded by Generals Franklin, McCall 
and King. Franklin's Division was sent to Yorktown in April and became the 
First Division, Sixth Army Corps. April 10, the Third Brigade Pennsyl- 
vania Eeserves, marched by way of Fairfax Court House and Center\ille, cross- 
ing Bull Run at Blackburn's Ford, and arrived at Manassas on the 11th. 
The Tenth Regiment was assigned quarters in a rebel camp about a mile south- 
east of jNIanassas Station, but in a few days marched to Catlett's, where it en- 
dured nearly three weeks of extremely disagreeable weather, and on May 4. 
to Falmouth via Hartwood Church. Though out of .season, some bee products 
and some turkeys were contiscated on this march, even the dignified colonel ol 
the Tenth Regiment being said to have been implicated in the turkey business. 
After a few days near Falmouth, the Tenth Regiment moved to the vicinity 
of Potomac Creelc and fitted up a camp in very tine style, the other regiments 
of the brigade doing likewise Heavy details were here employed in cutting 
and hauling timber, building bridges and repairing the railroad from Aquia 
Creek Landing on the Potomac to Fredericksburg and beyond. These, with 
drill, guard and picket, kept the men very fully employed. Here the brigade 
lost the leadership of treneral Ord, who was promoted to be a major-general 
and assigned to the command of a new division attached to the First Army 
Corps. Brigadier-General Truman Seymour was assigned to command the bri- 
gade, a change of commanders that was never appreciated by the command. 
The Tenth Regiment aLso lost its honored chief Colonel McCalmont's per- 
sonal affairs rendered it imperative that he should resign, and, much to the re- 
'net of both officers and men, he was mustered out of the service. Lieutenant- 
Colonel Kirk became colonel, and Captain A. .T. Warner of Company G was 
promoted to lieutenant-colonel. 

June 13, the Tenth Regiment embarked on the Rappahannock river above 
Port Royal, on the steamer Thomas Jefferson and the schooner T. Raymond 
which Avas towed by the steamer. There was considerable novelty in the trip. 
(Kcupyingmostof twodaj's, down the Rappahannock, both steamer and .schooner 
often finding the bottom of the river. On the morning of the Ujth, the Tenth 
landed at White House, on the Pamunkey, and marched out the railroad, pass- 
ing Tuustall's Station, just mi.ssing J. E. B. Stuart's cavalry in its famous raid 
around the Army of the Potomac. The Third Brigade was here temporarily re- 
duced to three regiments, the Sixth Regiment being detached to guard the 
railroad. .hiin- IH, the division marched from Dispaich Station up the north 



Pemisijicania af Getlyshnnj. ' 245 

side of the Chickahominy, and passing Porter's Provisional Fifth Army Corps, 
at Gaines' Mill, took post as the advance of the right wing of the army, on 
Beaver Dam run, about a half mile east of the village of Mechanicsville, which 
village (entirelj^ deserted by its inhabitants) was occupied by our pickets as 
their reserve post, and is only five miles from Richmond. The intrenchments 
and camps of the rebels were in plain view across the Chickahominy. 

Some small earthworks were thrown up by the Third llrigade along the east 
bank of the Beaver dam. and the timber bordering tliat .stream mostly cut down, 
the enemy meanwhile keeping us .stirred up by an occasional shot or shell, 
which they could throw from their works Ijeyond the Cliickahominy entiiely 
over our camps. 

In the afternoon of June 26, the rebel divisions ol' 1). 11. Hill and A. P. Hill, 
having cro.ssed the -Chickahomiuy above and at Mechanicsville, capturing mo.st 
of the pickets, appeared on the high ground west of the Beaver dam, and so(jn 
advanced furiously to attack our position. Our line was held by the First 
Brigade, General John F. Reynolds, on the right, on its left two companies, A 
and B of the Tenth, then the Twelfth Regiment completing the line to the 
Chickahominy flats, on our left. The other companies of the Tenth and Ninth 
regiments were in reserve, and the Second Brigade, General George G. Meade, 
held the line of the Chickahominy to left and rear. Archer's and Field's brig- 
ades of A. P. Hill's Division, attempted to carry the right of the line, and Rip- 
ley's and brigades of D. H. Jlill's, were hurled against our left. 

At every point they were most severe!}' repulsed, the First North Carolina 
and Forty-fourth Georgia regiments of Ripley's Brigade meeting with losses 
exceeded in very few in.stances during the war. Official report gives loss of 
Forty -fourth Georgia as three hundred and tweuty-tive killed and wounded in 
this engagement. The whole rebel loss wasoiie thousand three hundred and sixty- 
five killed and wounded, and that of tlie Peunsylvania Reserves, the only troops 
engaged on the Union side, was two hundred and lifty-six killed and wounded, 
and one hundred and five missing, the missing including the captured pickets. 
Next morning the division marched back about four miles, and rested behind 
the lines of Morell's Division at Gaines' Mill. The rebels, reinforced by Long- 
street's Division and the three divisions under Jackson, followed the movement 
closely, and in the afternoon assailed JNIorell's and Sykes' positions in heavy 
force, bringing on one of the most stubbornly contested battles of the war. The 
regiments of the Thud Brigade were sent into action separately, as their pres- 
ence seemed to be needed to support the hard-pressed front line. The Tenth, 
going to the assistance of Griflin's Brigade, took a gallant part in repulsing re- 
peated assaults of Pender's, Gregg's and Anderson's brigades of A. P. IlilPs 
Division, holding its ground until late in the evening, when, with ammunition 
exhausted and ranks sadly thinned, the whole line was forced to give way, be- 
fore the overwhelming onslaught made upon it by Longstreet's, Jackson's and 
Whiting's divisions. The loss suftered by the Tenth Regiment at Gaines' Mill 
was numerically the greatest it ever sustained, although the percentage of loss 
out of number engaged was much greater at Mana.s.sas, and also at Fredericks- 
burg, and was the heaviestof any regiment in the division except the Eleventh — 
being forty killed and one hundred severely wounded During the night of tlic 
27th Porter's command cro.ssed the Chickahominy to Trent's Hill, where we 
remained during the following day. On the 29th, marched, passing Savage'.s 
Station and White Oak swamp, to Charles (.'ity Cross Roads, called also (ilcndale. 



246 Pennsylvania at Gettjishurg. 

where, on the oUlh, the Tenth Regiment was again engaged with tlie enemy, 
pel lormed with entire success the difficult manoeuvre of making a left half wheel, 
under a heavy fire of artillery, and in the presence of an attacking column of 
infantry, and immediately charging, completeh' broke up the Seventeenth Vir- 
ginia Regiment of Kemper's Brigade, capturing nearly half its numl^er, and 
itself sufil'ring very slight loss in doing so. But. a little later, h\ somebody'.s 
blundcror want ofjudgment, it was placed in an exposed and untenable position, 
where it sulfered severe loss. Its loss this day was twenty-four killed and forty 
severely wounded. July 1, the division enjoj-ed the position of lookers-on at 
the battle of Malvern Hill, and at night led the army in its march to Harrison's 
Landing, on the James river. Here it rested, suffering from the heat of the 
weather and the badness of the water — all who were there doubtless remember 
vividly the pork-barrel wells that were dug, also the shelling by the "rebs" 
from the south side of the James, on the night of July 31. After the latter oc- 
currence the Third' Brigade was sent across the river, and spent a pleasant week 
'at Coggin's Point, the old Edmund Ruffin x)lantation. 

On the withdrawal of the Army of the Potomac from Harrison's Landing we 
embarked on a steamer, two regiments, Tenth and Seventh on one boat, landed 
at Aquia Creek August 19, and were at once transported by rail to Freder- 
icksburg. Late in the evening of the 21st the division, now commanded by 
General John F. Reynolds, started out upon what tried to the utmost its powers 
of endurance — the march to Warrenton, to join the army of General Pope. We 
rested at Warrenton until afternoon of August 27, 1862, Avhen departure was 
taken in haste by the old turnpike toward Bull Run and Centerville, the division 
again forming ^mrt of the First Army Corps — commanded by INIajor-lieneral 
McDowell. We came in contact with the enemy on the morning of the 28th 
near Gainesville and again in the afternoon, and in the night made a long cir- 
cuitous march nearly to Manassas and back nearly to the Henry House on the 
old battle-field of Bull Run. 

On the 29th the Third Brigade especially was used as a detachment to feel for 
the enemy's position in front of the left of Pope's army and open communica- 
tion with Fitz John Porter's command should it advance upon the enemy. On 
the afternoon the Third Brigade with General G. K. Warren's Brigade of the 
Fifth Corps and McLean's Brigade of Sigel's Corps were the only infantry left 
on the south side of the pike, and bore the brunt of the overwhelming charge 
of Longstreet's whole corps. The loss sufiered here by these brigades testify 
to the fact that they did all that men could do to hold their groiuid. The 
Tenth lost in this battle twenty-two killed or mortally wounded and about 
forty others wounded. The last day of the month was spent at Centerville, the 
division i)icketing along Cub run at night. September 1, we reached Chan- 
tilly late in the evening, and in an outpour of rain halted in support of Kear- 
ny's Division, in the engagement in which that dashing leader lost his life. 
Next day marched from Fairfax Court House to Arlington, where we rested until 
the night of the (Jth during whicli we marched again, cro.ssing Long Bridge, and 
through the city of Washington to Leesboro, Md. After here receiving some 
much-needed supplies, our march was continued nortlnvard, and on the evening 
of the 13th we bivouacked at the cro.ssing of tlie ^Slonocacy by the Frederick 
pike. Next day pushed forward through Frederick and ISIiddletown, and in 
the afternoon took an active part in di.slodging the enemj' from his formidable 
position on South Mountain. At the foot of the mountain the division filed 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 247 

off to tlie right about a mile, and fliar<;ing up tlic face of the ridge quickly dis- 
h)dged tlie enemy, completely dispersing Kodes' Alabama Brigade. Loss in 
regiment, seven killed and thirteen wounded. Next morning followed the re- 
treating rebels to the Autietam just beyond Keedysville. 

After waiting until the evening of the 16th, the First Corps, which since 
leaving Washington had been commanded by General Joseph Plooker, moved 
up the creek a short distance, crossed by a stone bridge, ])ushed on to the Ilagers- 
towu and Sharpsburg pike, and Meade's Division being in advance, we got 
sharply into action with the enemy just before dark, and the opposing lines of 
battle passed the night only a lew yards apart. The attack by Hooker's Corps 
was resumed at dawn on the 17th, King's Division going to the front, immedi- 
ately followed by the Third Brigade of Meade's, and at once began the bloodiest 
forenoon's work of the war. Fortunately for the Tenth Regiment, the confi- 
dence of the corps commander either in its reliability or in the skill of its lieu- 
tenant-colonel, in a situation that might require the exercise of those qualities 
in an unusual degree, was here the occasion of our escaping the very fiercest of 
the conflict. Just as it was entering the i'amous cornfield, Colonel Warner 
was ordered by an aide of General Hooker to move his regiment hj the 
right flank across the turnpike, go as far to the right and front as pos.sible, and 
watch the movements of the enemy. This duty it performed, itself suffering 
but little, except the very serious wounding of its gallant commander. 

The regiment encamped near Sharpsburg until the 26th of October, on which 
da- it marched to the summit of South Mountain at Crampton's Gap, a day and 
night of experience with mud and rain and fierce searching wind on the dreary 
mountain top. We crossed the Potomac again into Virginia, at Berlin, October 
30, marched across Loudoun county by way of Lovettsville, Philomont, Union 
and Middleburg to White Plains and Warreutou, and, sheep and hogs beino- 
numerous and in prime condition, we fared as well as at any time during the 
service. The First Corps moved from Fayetteville near Warrenton, November 
17. and next evening camped at Stafford Court House, soon moving again to 
Brooke's Station, and after some two weeks of extremely cold weather for so 
early in the season spent there, moved on the 6th of December to White Oak 
Church, from whence, at 2 o'clock on the morning of the 11th, we started for the 
Rappahannock, the Tenth being detailed to guard the laying of pontoon bridges 
at Franklin's Crossing, about two miles below Fredericksburg. The enemy's 
pickets were quickly driven from the opposite bank and two bridges soon com- 
pleted. The Sixth Corps cio.ssing on them during the afternoon, and the First 
Corps on the 12th ; the latter corps moved down the river to Bernard's planta- 
tion, where it bivouacked. Nothing was visible on the morning of the 13th 
but a most remarkably dense fog. The division however moved out across the 
Bowling Green road finding there the skirmishers of the enemy. The lines of 
the First Corps, which was now commanded by General John F. Reynolds, 
were soon formed, the Finst Division on the left faced nearly east, the Third Di- 
A'ision (Pennsylvania Reserves), General George G. Meade commanding, on its 
right fronting nearly to the south at almost a right angle with the First, faced 
the enemy's batteries and lines of infantry on the wooded hills beyond the 
railroad, the Second Division on its right extending in the same direction, and 
the Sixth Corps prolonged the line still farther to the right. The assault on 
the enemy's position was made by the Third Division, now consisting of the 
thirteen old regiments of Pennsylvania Reserves and two new regiments, the 



248 Pennsylvania at Geftys/nc/y. 

One liimdred and iwenty-tiist and One hundred anil lorty -second reginients 
Ptunsylvania Voluuleers, incorporated respectively in the First and iSecond 
Brigades. The First Brigade was deployed on the right, the Third ou the left 
and the Second massed in rear of the center. The Tenth Regiment formed the 
e.xtreme left of the line. It had only eight companies in line, Company B having 
l)eeu sent out as skirmishers down the Bowling (ireen road, where the cavalry 
skirmishers of the enemy had become troul)lesom(', and Company I) being 
provost guard of division. 

About 2 o"(;lock they moved forward as steadily and in as (complete order as 
though its ranks were not being plowed by shot and shell from the enemy's 
batteries. The distance to be traversed was about a half mile over a treeless 
])laiu. which was found to be crossed by fences bordered with briars, and a wide 
ditch about five feet deep with nearly perpendicular sides, and water and ice at 
the bottom, but these obstacles scarcely occasioned a break in the line as it swept 
on toward the enemy. After crossing the railroad the Tenth Regiment found 
itself exposed to u heavy cross-fire from the left as well as the fire in its front. 
In tact the left of our line had struck near the center of Archer's Brigade, and 
the right of that command overlapped our left, thus compelling the left of the 
Tenth to fall back to the railroad, which it held, engaging the enemy, and keep- 
ing silent a section of artillery ix)sted about two hundred yards to its left and 
front. The riglit of the Third Brigade dislodged the Nineteenth Georgia Regi- 
ment forming the left of Archer's Brigade, almost annihilating it, and capturing 
its colors, and swinging forward to the left, widened the interval between it and 
the left of the First Brigade. This interval was at once occupied by the Second 
Brigade, which, pushing directly forward, badly worsted the famed South Caro- 
hna Brigade of General Maxcy Gregg, and causing the death of General Gregg. 
The ground thus wrested from the enemy the division held for about two hours, 
repulsing all attempts of the enemy to retake it, until, after nearly half its num- 
bers were killed or wounded and its ammunition entirely expended, it retired 
over the same ground it had made its advance, bringing back every one of its 
colors, and also several others taken from the enemy. The division entered the 
engagement with less than four thousand five luindred men and lost therein 
over two thousand killed, wounded and missing. The Tenth Regiment, out of 
about two hundred and fifty engaged, lost eleven killed, eighty-one wounded 
and forty-sevenmissing,as reported immediatelj'^ alter the battle ; of the wounded, 
twelve died of their wounds. Althougli the Tenth did not penetrate the enemy's 
line as for as .some of the other regiments, it held most determinedly a position 
that was all important to the .safety of the whole division, and it was only by 
the greatest possible effort that the unemployed enemy on its left were held 
back from closing the gap in the rear of those who had advanced into the woods. 
Asa military movement, for dash and gallanfry in making the advance, for 
steadiness and determination in holding a position gained within the lines of 
an enemy much superior in numbers to the attacking force, and especially lor 
the adhesiveness shown in retiring without a.ssistance, and without loss of or- 
ganization, from so exposed a situation, this charge of .Meade's Division cer- 
tainly compares creditably with anything recorded in history. 

The division crosse«l back to the north side of the river on the night of ihe 
l.'ith of December, and after a few days moving about .settled down in a camp 
among the sand hills near Belle Plain Landing, where it remained, with the 
f.\(<)ition iif Wwc.c (lays loUowing .January '215. IHfi!!. diiriiiir which it particii)ated 



l^ennsylvania at Geityshurtj. 249 

in tlic no way pleasant experience of " Burnside's Sturk in tl\e Mud," nntil 
February 9, wheu it embarked on tlic Potomac, and next day landed at Alex- 
andria, marched to Minor's Hill, and was employed in picketing in front of 
the fortifications of Washington, nntil April 20, when the Third Brigade moved 
into Washington, occnpied barracks on East Capitol street, and np to the 1st of 
June was engaged in various duties pertaining to tlie .Military District of Wash- 
ington. 

June 1, 1863, the Third Brigade marched to Upton's Hill, and thence, on the 
25th, along vvith First Brigade (the Second being left at Alexandria), set out to 
join the Army of the Potomac, coming up with iton the 28th at Ballinger's 
creek near Frederick, Md. The two brigades now iKcanie the Third Division, 
Fifth Army Corps, and so remained until expiration <il' their service. .June 29, 
we marched to Liberty, (m the 30th to Union Mills, Md.. and on July 1, cros.sed 
into Pennsylvania, and were pushed on toward York, so far Irom Gettysburg 
that the sound of battle did not reach us at all, and we were entirely unaware 
of the desperate conflict going on, until late in the afternoon, when news was 
received that a battle was in progress and that (General Reynolds had been killed . 
The news of the death of General Reynolds caused a universal feeling of sadness 
throughout the division, which had known hini from the beginning as brigade, 
division and corps commander, and all honored and respected him in the very 
fullest sense. 

Late in the evening of July 1, the head of column of the Fittli Corps was 
turned toward Gettysburg, the Third Division passing through Hanover after 
dark. The weary march was until after midnight, when near the village of 
Bonneauville a halt was made, and the tired soldiers laid down and slept by 
the roadside until day, which came at a very early hour. After a hasty break- 
fast the corps was again on the march, and soon came in sight of the skirmishers 
ot the enemj', who held possession of that road to the town of Gettysburg. We 
let them keep it, and filed to the left down a small stream until we reached the 
Baltimore turnpike, which we followed, toward Gettysburg. After crossing 
Rock creek the Fifth Corps filed otf the pike to the left, lay do'ivn and rested 
until about 5 o'clock in the evening, at which hour the sound of battle came 
loud from this part of the field. Quicklj' under arms the corps was soon in 
motion toward the sound, crossing the Taneytown road, we ascended the slope 
of Little Round Top. meeting many wounded from the battle which was fiercely 
raging bej'ond the hill. 

The First and Second Divisions had preceded us, and the Third Brigade of 
each had been left to hold Little Round Top and drive the enemy from the 
rocky valley between the two hills, while the other brigades had jjassed on to 
the wooded broken ground and the wheat-field beyond. 

A wonderful scene met the gaze of the Pennsylvania Reserves when they 
reached the crest of Little Round Top. It was near the close of what General 
Longstreet has denominated "the be.sttwo hours' fighting that ever took place 
on this planet." It was the moment just before exhaustion ot the tremendous 
and desperate effort by the divisions of Hood, IVIcLaws and Anderson, com- 
prising thirteen brigades of the very flow-er of the rebel army, under the per- 
sonal direction of Generals Lee and Longstreet, to crush the left wing of the 
Union army, and gain possession of Little Round Top. It should be remarked 
that the brigades of the rebel armj^ at this time were just alniut one-third 
heavier than those of ours. The two lieing nearly equal in numbers, theirs 



250 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

was composed ol" tliirty-eight infantry regiments and ours of fifty -one. So that 
while our brigades averaged about one thousand and five hundred men, theirs 
exceeded two tliousand. In repelling this mighty assault there had been en- 
gaged the six brigades of the Third Corps, four brigades of First Division, Second 
Corps, and li^■e brigades of the Fifth Corps. 

When the rennsylvania Ixcserves looked down the western slope of Little 
Eound Top. the skirmishers of the enemy were almost at its foot and his some' 
what broken and disordered but exultant lines not far in their rear. The First 
Brigade dashed down the slope, deploying as it went, drove back the skirmishers 
and nearest brigade of the enemy, and the mighty effort put forth to wring 
from the Union army the key to its position was over, and with it had passed 
the highest wave of the rebellion. From those two hours fighting — 5 to 7 o'clock 
July ri, 1863, may be dated the commencement of its ebb-tide. When the First 
Brigade charged down the slope of Little Round Top, the Third Brigade was 
sent to the Iclt into the valley at the foot of the larger hill, the Ninth and 
Tenth regiments forming line of battle perhaps over one hundred yards in rear 
of the position marked by the stone wall which they subsequently built and 
which is marked hy their monuments, and the Fifth and Twelfth regiments 
dislodged part of Law's Alabama Brigade and occupied the summit of Big 
Round Top. At daylight next morning the Tenth Regiment advanced to the 
position now marked, and at once commenced and in surprisingly .short time 
completed the construction of this wall ; in pushing back the skirmishers of 
the enemj" from this position, two men of the Tenth were killed and three 
wounded. The sharpshooters of the enemy under cover of the rocks and trees 
were xevj troublesome, but volunteers from the Tenth were readj^ to meet 
them, and they were very soon receiving as good as they sent. Major J. C. 
Rogers, commanding Fifth Texas immediatelj' in our front, says in his report, 
"just before day on the morning of the 3d orders reached me that breastworks 
must be thrown up and the position held. During the day constant skirmish- 
ing was kept up with the enemy which resulted in the loss to ns of many of our 
best scouts. ' ' . 

On the 5th of July the regiment marched in pursuit of the enemy, with whom 
we came up and skirmished on the 12th and 13th near St. James College and 
\Villiainsi)ort, Md., The rebels having esca])ed across the Potomac, we uuirched 
back over South Mountain and on the 17tli of July again cro.ssed into Virginia 
at Berlin. Here Colonel Warner, who, though sufiering from his wound re- 
ceived at Antietam to a degree that would have entireh' disabled almost any 
other man, had up to this commanded the regiment, gave up the command to 
Lieutenant-Colonel J. B. Knox. July 23, we reached Manassas Gap or Wap- 
piiig Heights, where we advanced over the summit of the Blue Ridge in line of 
battle, Vuit the enemy retired without causing us any loss. From the gap we 
marched to Warrenton (blackberries being about all the provender in sight), 
then on down Ijy Fayetteville to Rappahannock Station, where we rested until 
the UJth of September, wlien advance was made, the Fifth Coips locating be- 
yond Culpeper, and again we took things easy in a very pleasant camp until 
the 10th of October. The rebel army then commenced a movement by way of 
Warrenton, toward our rear. We got into action with Hill's Corps at Bristoe on 
the 14th. The enemy in his eagerness to attack the Filth Corps which was in a 
rather exposed itosition, exposed himself to the Second Corps, and lost heavily ; 
two brigades. Cooke's and Kirklaiid's of Heth's Division, being almo.st annihil- 



Pennsylvania at Getiyshurg. 251 

atedaud a battery captured. The Tenth Kegiment here performed the duty ol" rear 
guard of the Fifth Corps, holdiug the euemyin check while the corps withdrew 
toward Manassas. Its loss was one killed and two wounded. We retired to 
Manassas, then returned to Bristoe after night, to assist the withdrawal of the 
Second Corps, then again passed Manassas, crossed Bull Run at llhicklxirn's 
Ford and next morning were at Centerville. In the advance which followed 
we marched by way of Bull Run battle-field and Greenwich to Warrenton 
Junction, where we halted from October 21 to November 7, when the Fifth 
and Sixth corps advanced to Rappahannock Station, a brigade of the Sixth as- 
saulting the enemy's entrenchments captured almost entire Haj's' and Hoke's 
brigades of Early's Division, one thousand six hundred men with their arms, 
a battery and pontoon Vjridge. 

Crossing the Rappahannock at Kelly's Ford we moved out to Mountain run, 
and occupied new and commodious quarters just built b}' Battle's Alabama 
Brigade, but left them on the morning of the 26th of November, on which day 
we crossed the Rapidau, at Culpeper Mine Ford, and l)ivouacked that night at 
the junction of the Germanna and Orange Plank roads ; next day marched by 
old Plank road toward Orange Court House, and in the afternoon came up with 
Gregg's Cavalry Division engaged with the enemy at New Hope Church, and 
at once proceeded to take part, but, thanks to good luck or good dodging, none 
of the Tenth were seriously hurt. 

Next day moved to the right to where the old Fredericksburg and Orange 
Court House turnpike crosses Mine Run. On the 29th remained in position, 
looked at rebs building works on their side of the run and worked .some at same 
on ours. The morning of the 30th was extremely cold ; moved verj' early about 
two miles to right, where Fifth and Sixth Cor])s massed and prepared to assault 
the enemy's works, but to the great satisfaction of everybody the order to attack 
was countermanded and we returned to the position of the previous day. De- 
cember 1 continued to fortify, and .so did tlie enemj-. The Tenth was on 
the .skirmi-sh line, was relieved after dark and .started to the rear by the 
old turnpike, recrossed the Rapidan at Germanna Ford at daylight, and 
crosstd the Rappahannock at Kelly's Ford and continuing on to 'Warrenton 
Junction, there built winter quarters and went to guarding the railroad. After 
changing several times, the Tenth finally was located, December 30, 1863, to 
pass the winter at Manassas. Divided into detachments to guard the railroad 
we were constantly annoyed ))y guerrillas, In* whom at one time two men were 
wounded and captured, and two were killed April 15. 1864. 

During the winter one hundred and twenty men of the regiment re-enlisted, 
and were given furlough for thirty-five days. April 29. the Tenth Regiment 
bade final farewell to Manassas, and on the 30th crossed the Rappahannock, and 
joined the Filth Corps near Stevensburg. 

Very early in the morning of the 4th of May, the Fifth Corps (now including 
the First) set out for its last trip across the Rapidan, cro.ssing it about noon at 
Germanna Ford, it pushed on to old Wilderness Tavern. Next morning Third 
Division started on by a cross road toward Parker's Store, but soon came up 
Avith the enemy, and after .some skirmishing fell back nearly to the old tavern. 
On morning of 6th, pushed to the front on both sides of the turnpike, captiu- 
ing a heavy line of skirmishers, until we found ourselves facing a line of earth- 
works and in a very exposed position. Plere we held on. however, until even- 
ing, losing five killed and several severelv w-ounded, among the latter \qy\ 



252 Pennsylvania af Getfi/sh>in/. 

nnlortnnately l)cing Colouel Aver, aud liom tliis time Adjutant G. W. McCraeken 
was virtually toiiiniander of the regiment. Alter dark moved at double-quick 
down the Gerinania road to support Sixth Corps, whidi had been attacked and 
Seymour's and Shaler's brigades captured, but returned later in the morning, 
crossed Wilderness run and lay quiet until night. 

Then the Fil'th Corps pulled out, crossed the old Plank road, passing along 
the lines of the Second Corps lying in their entrenchnicnts along the Brock roud. 
passed the cavalry just at daylight at Todd's Tavern, and then commenced push- 
ing back the enemy's cavalry, and clearing the road of obstructions, which con- 
tinued until we crossed the Ny river and found ourselves in the presence of 
and sharply engaged with I^ngstreet's Corjjs in front of Spotsylvania Court 
House. That evening, May 8, the Third Division, supported by the First, charged 
upon the enemy. "We advanced through thick woods until dark, got into the 
enemy's line, engaged in numerous hand-to-hand encounters, and lost a good 
many men reported missing, most of whom doubtless were killed, as they were 
never heard from afterward. Those who were captured w ere very fortunate in 
being recaptured next day by the cavalry at Beaver Dam Station. The Tenth 
was engaged with the enemy every day and almost every night for a week, on 
this northwest side of Spotsylvania Court House ; then during the rainy and ex- 
ceedingly dark night of the 14th of May, moved around to the east and put in 
another week, but without being quite so constantly engaged. Loss in all these 
actions, twenty-live killed and sixty wounded. Pulling out to Guiney's Sta- 
tion on the 20th, we took the Richmond road, crossed the North Anna river at 
.Jericho Mills on the •23d, and had a brisk tight, losing two killed. Next after- 
noon the division pushed down between the river and enemy and covered the 
crossing of the Ninth Corps. Next morning pushed forward still farther down 
the river, and during 25th and 26th confronted enemy's w(»rks — at a distance 
of two hundred to three hundred yards. 

During night of 26th withdrew to north side of North Anna, and started down 
the river, crossed the Pamunkey at Hanover Ferry, and on the 29th pushed out to 
Totopotomoy creek where the Tenth skirmi.shed with the enemy, being on picket 
line that night. Next forenoon were relieved by Ninth Corps, and, crossing the 
creek, we joined the division near the Mechanicsville road. Skirmishing was 
going on. and as soon as we came up we were ordered to the skirmish line to 
take the place of the Fifth Regiment which, armed with smooth-bore muskets, 
was unable to drive the enemy's skirmishers. The Tenth at once deployed and 
moved forward to the skirmish line where we found the Bucktails deployed 
to our right. The whole line was ordered forward, and forward it went driving 
before it a heavy line of rebel skirmishers, and followed by the division in line 
<jf battle which halted and threw up some slight breastworks near Bethesda 
Church. The skirmishers kept on for nearly a mile over open fields and then 
across a narrow swamp, when they lound a line of earthworks facing them at 
not more than one hundred and fifty yards distance ; over these Avorks at once 
came the enemy in force; that the Tenth Regiment got oat of that strip ol" 
woods, and back over open fields three hundred to four hundred yards wide, 
before any cover was reached, has always seemed a piece of wonderful good 
fortune. Hut it did so without having a man seriously hurt, and losing only 
two captured. The skirmishers rallied with their brigades, who had hastily 
thrown together some rails for breastworks, and the enemy, two brigades of 
EwelTs Cori)s. following them up, were received with a lire tliat alniosl anni- 



Pennsylvania of Gettiishurtj. 253 

hilated them. Uiu' of these was the lamed old ritonewall Brigade, its com- 
mander, Colonel J. 11. Terrill, falling about one hundred yards in front of the 
Tenth Regiment. For destructiveness to the enemy, coupled with slight loss to 
ourselves, this engagement at Bethesda Church was very much like those at 
Dranesville and Median icsville. The Tenth lost one man mortally wounded. 
Tliis ended the services of the Tenth Regiment. Ne.xt morning it received the 
following order : 

"Headquarteks I'lirii Ai;mv (\nivs, Mai/ \\\. Hty. 

•'Special Orders No. . 

■:~ * * -:•;- * -K- * * •■:- * w * * 

'■'2. In issuing the order lor the return of the Pennsylvania Reserves, whose 
term of service exinres to-day, the general commaiuling begs leave to express 
to them his great satisfaction at their heroic conduct in this arduous campaign. 
As their commander he thanks them for their willing and efficient efforts, and 
congratulates them that their successful engagement of yesterday, closing their 
term of service and long list of battles braveh" fought, is one they can ever re- 
member with satisfaction and pride. 

"By command of Major-General Warren. 

•A. .-;. -Makvix. Jr.. A. A. G." 

The total enrolment of the Tenth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves was one 
thousand one hundred and sixty officers and men. Of these one hundred and 
sixty were killed in battle or died of wounds, thirty-one died of disea,se or acci- 
dent, twenty-eight deserted or were dishonorably discharged, forty were trans- 
ferred to cavalry or artillery service in the regular army or to the Veteran Re- 
serve Corps, forty-two were discharged by order mo.stly to accept commissions 
in other or<ranizations, two hundred and seventy-one were discharged tor dis- 
ability largely caused by wounds, two hundred and sixty-one were transferred 
to the One hundred and ninetieth and One hundred and ninety-first regiments 
Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers, two full companies. I and K. of the One hun- 
dred and ninety-first being entirely composed of veterans and recruits of the 
Tenth Regiment, and three hundred and twenty-seven were mustered out at 
Pittsburg. .Tune 11, 1864. 

Of the two thousand and forty-seven regiments in the Union army during 
the rebellion the Tenth Regiment stands forty-fifth of those sustaining the 
greatest percentage of loss in battle to total enrolment, its loss in killed and 
mortally wounded being nearly fourteen per cent, of enrolment. And this 
loss was not (as was the case with some organizations suffering heavy losses) 
occasioned by any overwhelming disaster, but in every instance represented 
hard fighting in which the enemy had no particular advantage. In fact where- 
ever there was marked advantage the enemy had far the worst of it. This was 
unmistakably true at Dranesville, at Mechanicsville. at South Mountain, and 
last but not least at Bethesda Church. 

Of the forty-seven regiments of the Union army sulTeringthe largest percent- 
age of loss in killed and died of wounds, forty belonged to the Army of the Po- 
tomac ; twelve of them to the First and Fifth corps, and four of them being regi- 
ments of the Pennsylvania Re.serve Corps. It is also worthy of remark that 
eleven of the forty-seven were Pennsylvania regiments. 

The loss of the Tenth Regiment by disearu- wa>s the smallest of any three-years' 
regiment in the entire army. In the Union Army according to statistics compiled 



254 Pennsylcania at (Teityshurg. 

by the AVar Department, the aggregate uumber ol' men enrolled was two million 
seven hundred and seventy-eight thousand three himdrcd ami three, and the 
aggregate number of deaths from all causes, three liuudred and titty-nine tlioiis- 
and live hundred and twenty-eight ; nearly thirteen per cent, of total enrolment. 
Pennsylvania furnished three hundred and thirty-seven tlioti.sand nine hundred 
and thirty-si.K men, of whom there died from all cau.ses, thirty-three thousand 
one hundred and eighty-three ; le.ss than ten ])er cent. The killed or mortally 
wounded of the entire army numbered one hundred and ten thousand and 
seventy ; not quite four per cent. Pennsylvania troops lost in killed or mortally 
wounded, fifteen thousand two hundred and sixty-five ; nearly four and a half 
l)er cent. Died of disease, entire army, two hundred and twenty-four thousand 
eight hundred and eighty-six, a little le.ss than eight per cent., ot Pennsylvania 
soldiers, there died of disease, fifteen thousand nine hundred and one ; about 
four and three-fourths per cent. Thus we see that while the loss of Pennsylvania 
.soldiers by the missiles of the enemy w'as heavier in proportion to numliers than 
that of the whole army, their losses from disease were only about half the average. 
And in the case of the Pennsylvania Reserves this diiference is still more marked. 
The loss in killed and mortally wounded in the thirteen infantry regiments of 
Pennsylvania Reserves was one thousand five hundred and ninety-three, a little 
more than ten per cent of the whole enrolment of the division ; while those who 
died of disease, including the unfortunates starved in Ander.sonville and other 
prison pens of the South, numbered seven hundred and fifty, or le.ss than fi\e 
per cent.— just reversing the common statement that in armies two men die of 
disease for every one killed in battle. But the experience of the Tenth Regiment 
was the most marked of all in this respect ; the losses of the Tenth Regiment 
Pennsylvania Reserves in the twenty-two engagements in which it participated. 
were one hundred and sixty killed or mortallj^ wounded out of the aggregate 
enrolment of one thousand one hundred and sixty, nearly fourteen per cent., 
while the deaths from disease, including those in southern prison pens, were only 
thirty-one ; being le.ss than two and three-fourths per cent, of the enrolment — or 
le.ss than one-fifth as many died of disease as were killed in battle. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

40™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

( Eleve.n'th RE-SERVES ) 
ADDRESS BY BREVET BRIGADIER-GENERAL .S. M. JACKSON 

THE battle of Chancellorsville had been Ibught and lost, and the Army of 
the Potomac, battered and broken, but not conquered, recrossed the 
Rappahannock and took up its old position on Stafford Heights, in the 
rear of Falmouth. 
The .southern press and people clamored for northern invasion, and even the 
rank and file of the Army of Northern Virginia joined in this general outcry. 

This, together with the overflowing granaries and store-houses of Maryland 
and southern Pennsylvania, doubtle.ss induced General Lee to undertake the 
camjiaign whie-h proved so fatal to the Confederate cause. 



Pauisi/lrania at Geft)jsJ)nr(j. 255 

Longstreet with his thirty thousand veterans was ordered nji from North Caro- 
lina, and by the stimulus of invasion, coiuiuest and i»luuder, the thinned ranks 
of the Confederate army were retilled, and General Ia^o with his boasted hundred 
thousand invineibles started on the memorable Gettysburg campaign. 

He moved up the south bank of the I\ai)pahannock river, whilst General 
Hooker, at the head of the Army of the Potomac, moved in a parallel line up the 
north bank, like two sparring pugilists, each watching for a favorable opportunity 
to strike the other. 

This sparring continued until Lee struck the foot hills of the Blue Ridge 
Mountains, through which he passed and placed this natural ])arrier between 
him and his foe. He then proceeded north along the western .slope of the Blue 
Kidge, while Hooker moved leisurely along the eastern slope, keeping between 
the Confederate army and the city of Wa.shington. Lee with his army crossed 
the Potomac river near WilliamsiJort, Md., while Hooker crossed about twenty- 
tive miles further south, at Edwards Ferry. On reaching Maryland, the South 
^lountain range completely separated the two contending armies, and by guard- 
ingthe few passes through this range, the movements of the one army was thor- 
oughly hidden from the other. 

Hooker concentrated the Army of the Potomac in the valley of the Monocacy, 
a few miles south of the city of Frederick. The Pennsylvania Reserve Division 
having been recalled from the Army of the Potomac early in 1863 to the de- 
fenses of Washington, was located at difiterent points within the Washington 
department, except the Second Brigade which had been ordered to W^est 
Virginia. 

The Eleventh Regiment, which I had the honor to command, was stationed 
at V'ienna, Va., a small village some twenty-five miles south of Washington on 
the Leesburg and Alexandria railroad. Brigadier-General S. W. Crawford, a 
Pennsylvanian, but an old army veteran, had just been assigned to the command 
of the divi.sion. and under his order we broke camp on June 25, 1863, and 
started to join the Army of the Potomac. 

We moved by way of Dranesville. Va. , crossed the Potomac at Edwards 
r^erry and reached the camps of the army on the evening of June 26, the same 
day that General Hooker had been relieved, and General George G. Meade had 
been designated by the President as Commander of the Army of the Potomac. 

Meade's appointment to this important command was received with much 
mistrust by many of the old officers and men of the army, as he was a com- 
parative stranger to most of them, but well known to every officer and man in 
the Pennsylvania Reserves, having entered the service in 1861 as commander 
of the Second Brigade, and remaining with us as brigade and division com- 
mander through the Peninsular, Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam 
and Fredericksburg cami)aigns. 

True he had been in command of the Fifth Army Corps a short time, ])ut had 
gained no particular notoriety in this position. The announcement of his ap- 
pointment was made just as we reached the outer camps of the army and our 
men .shouted themselves hoarse over the welcome news. 

Doubtless this demonstration on our part had something to do with the 
marching of our division through the camps of the army that evening, and I 
am satisfied that it created a feeling of confidence among the officers and men 
of the army, in the ability of the new commander. 

After reaching our camp that evening, a number of the officers rode over to 



256 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

arniv headquarters to j)ay our respects to our old commander, and to congratu- 
late him on his distinguished promotion. 

We found him in close conference witli Generals Reynolds, Hancock, Sedg- 
wick and others. He seemed delighted in welcoming us back to the army. 
Thanked us for our congiatulations, but said that he did not know whether he 
was a subject of congratulation or commiseration. He appeared anxions and 
showed that he fully realized the responsibility of his position. He said how- 
ever that he had all confidence in the bravery of the officers and men of the 
arn)v and felt assured that we would achieve a glorious victory in the coming 
conflict. 

That, doubtless, was a sleepless night to the new commander, for before the 
sun rosetlie ne.x.t morning the order directing the movements which culminat<»d 
in the battle of Gettysburg had been prepared and sent out to all the subordi- 
nate commanders. 

Our division was designated as the Third Division of the Fifth Army Corps, 
then under command of Major-Geneial George Sykes. The orders directed the 
movements of the army from Frederick City in three columns. The left column 
under General Reynolds, consisting of the First, Third and Eleventh corps, 
was to move by way of Emmitsburg direct to Gettysburg. The center column, 
consisting of the Second, Fifth and Twelfth corps, was to move in the direction 
of Hanover, Pa., and under the eye and immediate direction of the command- 
ing general. The right column, consisting of the Sixth Corps under General 
John Sedgwick, was to move in the direction of Westminster, Md. Just before 
crossing the State line, which we did near Uniontown, Md., the commanding 
general issued a general order directing corps, division, brigade and regimental 
commanders, to address their troops on the importance of every man perform- 
ing his whole duty in the coming conflict, that an expectant nation was 
looking to the Army of the Potomac to drive the ruthless invaders from the 
free soil of Pennsylvania, and keep the scene of war away from northern homes. 

On the receipt of this order General Crawford called together his brigade and 
regimental commanders, and here, for the first time, I made the acquaintance 
of the lately appointed regimental commanders of the division. 

The brigade commanders were William McCaudless of the Second Regiment 
and Joseph W. Fisher of the Fifth, both of whom have gained some civil no- 
toriety since the war, both having served as State Senatoi-s. McCandless as 
Secretary of Internal Affairs of Pennsylvania and Fisher as Cliief-Justice of the 
Territory of Wyoming. 

The regimental commanders were as follows : First Regiment, Colonel W. 
Cooper Talley ; Second Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel P. McDonougli ; Fifth 
Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel George Dare, afterwards killed in the battle of 
the Wilderness ; Sixth Regiment, Colonel A. J. Warner; Eleventh Regiment, 
commanded by myself; Twelfth Regiment, Colonel M. D. Hardin, now on the 
retired list of the regular army as brigadier-general ; Thirteenth, or Bucktails, 
Colonel Charles F. Taylor (brother of the renowned Bayard Taylor), wlio was 
killed three days later leading his regiment in the memorable charge from 
Little Round Top. 

General Crawford read to us this late order of the commanding general and 
urged upon us the necessity of arousing our men to a full sense of their duty, 
to exert their every effort in the protection of their homes and firesides, since 
thev w<!re now on the soil of their native State. Colonel Fisher, our brigade 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg, 257 

ooinmander, always anxious for an opportunity to make a speech, called out 
the brigade and gave us a most excellent and eloquent talk, which seemed to 
arouse the men very much at the time, but the long night march before reach- 
ing Gettysburg took much of the spasmodic patriotism out of the boys. 

On the morning of July 1. 1S6.'>, we left our camp about 5 o'clock and moved 
rapidly in the direction of Hanover which point we reached about 5 p. m. 
During the afternoon we heard heavy firing toward our left and thereby knew 
that General Reynolds had struck the enemy. Just belbre reaching Hanover 
we passed over the ground wiiere Kilpatrick had defeated the Confederate cav- 
alry the day before. The field showed all the marks of a well-contested battle, 
being strewn over with dead horses, broken caissons and sabers, and the accom- 
panying debris of a battle-field. 

On reaching Hanover town the head of the column turned square to the left 
and moved forward rapidly in the direction of Gettysburg. We all knew from 
this that the concentration of the army was to take place on General Rey- 
nolds' column, which we supposed at this time was in the neighborhood of 
Gettysburg. Darkness came on, yet no signs of a halt appeared, on the con- 
trary, the word passed back along the line "keep well closed up and press 
forward . ' ' 

The men became tired, footsore and cross ; midnight passed, 1 o'clock passed, 
but they longed in vain for the order to halt. Manj' an exhausted soldier 
dropped out of the ranks, still the order "press forward." Finally after passing 
the village of McSherrystown, Pa., the head of the column turned into a meadow 
on our right and the wear}' men were directed to lay down and rest. Poor 
fellows, they had hardly touched the ground till they were fast asleep, the last 
sleep on earth for many of them. 

We were called up just as the sun began to crimson the eastern sky and 
moved out in the direction of Gettysburg with the same old order, "press for- 
ward." As the head of my regiment filed out on the road. General Crawford 
who had just mounted his horse, called me to him and informed me that Gen- 
eral Reynolds had been killed in an engagement near Gettysburg the evening 
before. He told me not to let the men know it, saying it was a hard blow on 
the arm J' and country just at this particular crisis. 

After marching a few miles we were halted and the men were allowed to make 
coffee. We were then moved forward to the rear and east of Big Round Top 
where we were halted and ammunition issued to the men. The undisturbed 
quietness in our front was iiainful, for we all well knew that the giants were 
.stripping for the contest, and that the movements for positions were now going 
on. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon a single gun was fired in the direction of 
and beyond Big Round Top ; this was followed by the sharp rattle of musketry 
and the heavy booming of artillery. Very soon aides and orderlies began to 
gallop in all directions. One soon found his way to division headquarters when 
General Crawford and his staff quickly mounted and the order was passed along 
to fall in. 

We moved in the rear and east of the Round Tops, filed to the left and 
crossed the ridge between Little Round Top and the Cemetery. We were then 
moved to the left and took position on the western slope of Little Round Toj), 
massed m a battalion front with the Third Brigade leading. This formation 
placed my regiment in the rear of the brigade. We remained in this position 
but a short time when the firing became very heavy on our left and in the di- 
17 



258 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

rection of Big Round Toi), when a stali" officer rode up and directed Colonel 
Fisher to move his brigade iu that direction and aid Colonel Vincent's Brigade 
in holding that important position. In obedience to this order the brigade 
commenced filing out from the head of the column, first the Twelfth Regiment. 
next the Fifth, and then the Tenth which unmasked the right of my regiment, 
Wliile these movements were going on the battle in our front became terrific 
and verj' soon we could see that our troops were being driven back. At this 
moment, and just as I was about to move oft' to the left with my regiment, 
Major Speer of the division staff", rode up and said, '"Colonel Jackson, General 
Crawford directs that you remain in position and hold this hill at all hazards." 

In obedience to this order I faced my regiment to the front and moved forward 
to the position just vacated by the Twelfth Regiment, and ordered the meu to 
lie down and withhold their fire until I would give the command. This very 
trying order was most heroically obeyed as we were wholly exposed to the galling 
fire of the enemy from the direction of Devil's Den, and quite a number of my 
officers and men were here killed and wounded. Our position gave us a com- 
plete view of much of the day's battle-field, including the wheat-field and part 
of the peach orchard beyond, together with the woods on the right and left of 
the wheat-field and the greater portion of Devil's Den, that stronghold so tena- 
ciously held by the foe. 

A discouraging, yet sublime view it was about 6 o'clock, that hot July after- 
noon. The enemy forcing back foot by foot the struggling heroes of the Third 
Corps and the First Division of the Fifth Corps, down through the wheat-field 
and the woods on the right and left of the wheat-field, while the artillery to 
our right and left were playing upon them Avith shot and shell. Still on they 
came, a seeming irresistible mass of living gray. The First Ohio Battery, com- 
manded by a German captain, had gone into action on my left-front, and when 
it seemed that nothing could stop the onward progress of the enemy, this gallant 
officer became very much exercised over the safety of his guns and loudly an- 
nounced that he would be compelled to limber to the rear to save his pieces from 
capture. I told him to double-shot his guns, hold his position, and we would 
see to their safety. 

The boys along the line of tlie regiment hearing this colloquy between the 
German captain and myself, holloed out, "Stand by your guns, Dutchy, and 
we will stand by you." This seemed to put new confidence in the captain, who 
returned to his guns and served them most heroically, inflicting irightlul ex- 
ecution upon the foe, as he poured the shot and shell into their very laces. 

All this time my regiment remained quiet and motionless save in carrying back 
our killed and wounded. The men hugged the ground closely, which, by the 
help of a scrubby growth of pine which stood along the western slope of the hill, 
screened them pretty elfectually from the enemy's view. The smoke by this time 
had literally filled the valley in our front, and it was almost impossible to even 
see the troops. It was a trying moment. We could with difficulty see a column 
commencing to ascend the slope, but could not tell whether it was our troops 
retreating, or the enemy advancing. Finally two men came up the hill and as 
they approached us, I inquired if the front was clear of our meu. They replied, 
'• Yes ; those fellows (pointing to the line moving up the hill a few rods in our 
front) are Johnnies." T immediately gave the command to fire, which was 
obeyed with alacrity, and we jjoured a terrible volley into the very faces of the 
enemv. This evidently was a surprise, tor they faltered in the onward march 



Pe7i)t sylvan id at (Tf'ffyshiir(j. 259 

and began tocollect in groups. Their galling lire, howt-xcr. was kv\){ up (in our 
line, particularly from Devil's Den, and 1 soon realized the fact that the only 
way to hold the hill, was to charge forward. Therefore, I gave the command 
to &x bayonets and charge. This order was obeyed with a will and, with that 
familiar yell peculiar to the Pennsylvania Reserves, we rushed upon the foe 
with a determination to either drive the invaders back or .sacrifice ourselves ou 
our native soil. Our fondest hopes were realized. The tide Mas turned, the 
enemy broke and fell back in much disorder. 

As we neared the swamp or run, about midway ljet\\ een Little Hound Top 
and the wheat-field, I noticed troops deploying to my right and left and observ- 
ing the well known Bucktails rushing up in line with us on our left, I was as- 
.sured that the regiments of the First Brigade which had been laying in rear 
of us on Little Round Top, had joined us in the charge. On nearing the wheat- 
field fence, General Craw ford rode up to the rear of my line with hat in hand and 
complimented the regiment in the most extravagant terms, saying, "" Colonel 
Jackson, you have saved the day, your regiment is Avorth its weight in gold ; its 
weight in gold, sir.'' He directed me to establish my line at the edge of the 
wheat-field and have temporary Avorks thrown up at once. 

In locating my line, I discovered that the Bucktails and First regiments were 
on my left, and the Second and Sixth on my right. This formation placed my 
regiment in the center of the First Brigade, which position we occupied during 
the remaining days of the battle. 

Just as darkness was closing around us, an officer rode up in rear of my line 
and asked " what command is this." On telling him that it was the Pennsyl- 
vania Reserves, he replied that Pennsylvania would suj^port us, that he Avas 
Colonel Collier of the One hirndrcd and thirty-ninth Pennsylvania, and that liis 
regiment was directly in our rear and would gladly take our place if needed. 
On looking back I beheld the mountain side and away toward Cemetery Rid<je 
literally covered with troojis. The colonel said that Avas a division of the Sixth 
Corps, Avhich had just arrived on the field. This was the first intimation I had 
that the Sixth Corps had got up, and it Avas comforting indeed to knoAV that such 
a grand body of true and tried troojis Avere on the ground. This fact in itself 
assured to us the victory. 

The position taken at the wdieat-field was held throughout the night and next 
day until after Pickett's repulse on Cemetery Ridge, Avheu General Meade rode 
over to the left and directed Colonel McCandless to drive the enemy from the 
Avoods to the left of the Avheat -field, Avhich he did by moving his brio-ad e'iu line 
to near the top of the hill in the Avheat-field, when he ordered a left-half Avheel and 
charged up through the woods at a double-quick, yellinglustily as we advanced . 
This forced the enemy to abandon their stronghold at Devil's Den and as Ave 
reached the open ground extending out to and beyond the Emmitsburo- road. 
Ave saAv a large body of the enemy moving by fiank at a double-quick, far oft' to 
our left, hastening to gain their forces in our front beyond the Emmitsburo- road. 

Here we remained ihrough the night, and very early on the mornino- of the 
4th a terrific rain storm set in Avhich continued the greater portion of the day. 
Along in the afternoon the Sixth Corps Avas moved out to ieel the enemy but 
lieyond a light skirmish line Avhich they quickly dislodged, they met no oppo- 
sition. We Avere then moved back to near the Avheat-field from Avhence avc 
started the evening before, Avhere rations and ammunition were issued to the men. 

Thus ended the battle of Gettysburg. The foe Avas conquered and Ave stood 



260 Pennsylvania at Gettyshurfj. 

victorious on the field. The record of \yhich shall ever illumine the pages of 
American history, as the j^reatest battle, both in lesults and casualities in j)ro- 
portion to the troops engaged, ever fought on the American continent. 



ADDRESS BV BREVET MAJOR H. K. SLOAN 

THE Penn-sjlvania Reserve Corps originally consisted of twelve regi- 
ments infantry, one regiment rifles (Jjucktails), one regiment cavalry and 
one regiment, artillery, in all fifteen regiments, fifteen thousand eight 
hundred enlisted men, field, stall' and line. 
After the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December lo, 1862, the division was 
ordered back to defenses of Washington. D. C. The Third Brigade at Minor's 
Hill. The Eleventh Regiment was ordered from this position to Vienna, Va., 
and lay there until the movement culminating in the battle of Gettysburg, Penn- 
s\'lvauia, commenced. 

Two brigades, the First under command of Colonel McCandless, consisting of 
Bucktails (First Rifles). First, Second and Sixth infantry regiments. The Third 
under command of Colonel Fisher, consisting of Twelfth, Fifth, Tenth and Elev- 
enth infantry regiments. The Second Brigade, consisting of Fourth. Seventh. 
Eighth and Ninth regiments, were detached from the division. At battle of 
Gettysburg the First and Second brigades and the Regulars formed the Third 
Division, Fifth Army Corps, under command of General S. W. Crawford, the 
Fifth Army Corps commanded ]>y General Sykes. 

The Eleventh Regiment was at Uniontowu, Md., on the morning of July 1, 
1863. Lieutenant-Colonel D. S. Porter, by command of Colonel S. M. Jackson, 
colonel commanding regiment, moved out of bivouac at 5 o'clock a. m., with a 
portion of our regiment (Companies "A," "'B," and I think other companies 
but cannot remember number) as a guard for wagon-trains, etc. This detail 
marched with the train until toward sunset, when the news was received that 
the advance of our army was engaged with the enemy at Gettysburg, Peimsyl- 
vania, and we were ordered to rejoin our commands. The trains were ordered 
to Westminister. We rejoined our regiment and marched steadily until 10 
or 11 o'clock in the night, when all were tired, sleepy, cross, and inquiries were 
made with all the emphasis tired, hungry and sleepy soldiers could, '"When 
will the officers halt," etc. — cheering was heard on the road upon which we were 
marching, in advance of us, on other roads running parallel to our road, and the 
bt)ys wondered what those fools were yelling for. The cheering came nearer and 
nearer, increasing in volume, and finall3' .some one at the side of the road called 
out, "Boys, General McClellan is in command." and then for the time being, 
empty stomachs, sleep and fatigue were all forgotten, and we joined madly in 
the cheers. 

Predictions were freely ofl'ered that we were going to whip the enemy, aye 
destroy their army, etc. This news helped us along on the weary march until 
about 1 o'clock of the the morning of the 2d of July, when tired nature asserted 
its power and men fell out ol ranks, even the strongest and most energetic gave 
out, and fell into the ditch by the roadside, and lay there. This weary and 
almost intolerable march was continued until 3 o'clock of the morning of the 
2d, when, just after pa.ssing through the village of McSherrsytown. Pennsylvania, 
the regiment, having been twentv-thrce liour^ on the march was turned into 



Pennsylvania at Getty sbirnj. 261 

whiit seemed a meadow, on the right-hand side ol' the road, we laid down and 
slept — were awakened at ,") oclock, having had about two hours sleep and rest, 
and found we were laying in a swamp. The coarse swamp grass had served us 
tor -i bed, a softer bed I do not believe was ever given human beings — being 
composed largely of water. Immediately on being awakened at 5 o'clock a. m., 
on the morning of July 2, 186:>, the regiment, being the left of the brigade, moved 
out into the road, and after marching some two or three miles was halted and 
leave given to make coffee and get breakfast. We were given about thirty 
minutes to do this — then the march for Gettysburg began in good earnest. 1 do 
not know exactly when our brigade struck the Baltimore pike, but I remember 
marching along the Baltimore pike some distance before we tiled oft". The point 
at which we marched off the Baltimore pike was, I think, at what is known as 
the White Church, at which point, whilst marching on the pike to Gettysburg, 
we tiled off the pike and marched along a country road for a distance of about 
one mile, when Ave were marclied into a tield on right-hand side of road looking 
towards Gettysburg, we lay here until about 3.30 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon, 
when orders were received to advance (I do not know where the First Brigade 
of our division was at this time). Our brigade marched along the .same road 
we had entered on leaving the Baltimore pike, passed the rear of Big Round 
Top and pas.sed up onto Little Round Top, when the brigade was formed ni 
inasae battalion front. We were then moved to/the right-front of Little Round 
Top and formed at the foot of the hill towards Gettysburg. This formation for 
some reason was not satisfactory and we were mai-ched back onto the hill close 
to the artillery on the top of the hill. The brigade remained there a short time 
preserving the same formation, viz: en masse battalion or regimental front; 
after a very short interval an oflicer rode up and directed the brigade to move 
over and retake Big Round Top, that the enemy had or were about to obtain 
possession of that hill. The brigade in obedience to this order was moved rapid h^, 
commencing on the right. The Twelfth marched around our right and rear — 
as soon as the Twelfth had unmasked the Fifth, that regiment marched and the 
Tenth followed — as soon as the Tenth unmasked our regiment, Colouel Jackson 
gave the command, "' Shoulder arms, right face. " At this instant an officer rode 
up, gave the compliments of some general with directions that he halt his regi- 
ment and hold the hill at all hazards until reinforcements could be got up. 
Colonel Jackson, in obedience to this order, gave the regiment the order, "front, 
Ibrward march," and we marched in line of battle to the position which had been 
held by the Twelfth in our brigade formation, on the slope of the hill looking 
towards the wheat-tield, and woods to right of wheat-tield. The IJevil's Den, and 
woods to left of wheat-tield. were also in plain view of the position thus taken, 
and also in direct line of the enemy's tire Irom Devil's Den. I am positive that 
at this time the Eleventh Regiment, containing about four hundred men and 
officers, was the only infantry on this part of I.,ittle Round Top. This regiment 
was all of the Third Brigade that engaged in the action from Little Round Top. 
The other regiments, viz : Twelfth, Fifth and Tenth regiments having been sent 
to Big Round Top, as alreadj' stated. 

When the regiments reached the position vacated by the Tweltth Colonel 
Jackson ordered a halt and directed the men to lay down, and further ordered 
the men not to tire under any circumstances uutil the command to open tire 
should be given by him. This order was obeyed to the letter, although the 
regiment suffered severely from the enemy's tire, directed at it from Devil's 



202 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

Den, yet the men bore it with quiet bravery and with a lirni (Icleruiinalion to 
liold the hill in tlie face of all obstacles and all daubers. 

Matters looked gloomy at 6 o'clock or thereabouts on that hot afternoon of 
July 2, the enemy driving our forces in our front, a reported taking by them 
of 15ig Kound Top. 

The i)eaeh orchard in possession of the enemy, the wheat-field and the woods 
around it and in view of the DeviPs Den all in their possession and all com- 
pletely filled with their troops — infantry and artillery, and the valley in I'ront 
and right and left-front of Little Round Top filled with smoke, hiding from the 
view of the few anxious watchers on Little Round Top, the struggling, suffer- 
ing and dying combatants below in the valley of the shadow of death. 

The enemy's hosts seemed innumerable and unconquerable, and what of the 
little baud of infantry and artillery on Little Round Top? They rested in 
quietness awaiting the order they knew must soon come ; removing their dead 
and wounded quietly and in silence, and finally the regulars were driven past 
the base of the hill, but what wonderful bravery did they display ! retreat 
whilst loading — about-face and deliver a fire in the face of the enemy. This 
was grand and inspiring ; finally two men came up the hill — Colonel Jackson 
asked. "'How many of our people are down there?" They replied, "not one. 
Those people you see coming up the hill are "Johnnies." " Colonel Jackson then 
gave the order "Tire." It was obeyed and some three or four rounds were 
fired when Colonel Jackson gave the order, "Fix bayonets — charge. " etc. This 
order was obeyed. Allow me to remark just here — that I Avas near Colonel Jack- 
son when he received the order to hold the hill at all hazards. I was also near 
him when he gave the order to fix bayonets and charge. I would certainly have 
seen auy officer giving him the order, and as certainly have heard such an order 
if it had been given to him by any one. There were no orders given him and 
therefore am I positive in my belief, and deliberate in my statement, when I 
say. that Colonel Jackson alone determined the action of his regiment, and of 
his own motion and as the only possible way to hold that hill until reinforce- 
ments could be got up, gave his order to fix bayonets and charge. The charge 
was made down the hill through the smoke across the valley of death to the 
fence at the wheat-field and in the front of woods to the right "of the road and 
to the right of the wheat-field. After our regiment reached this position, hear- 
ing cheering in our rear, I turned, looked back, and the Bucktails, that grandest 
of regiments, composed of men who were bravest among the brave, were coming 
ou a double-quick. With them came the First, Second and Sixth regiments, 
the First Brigade of our division, and as they came up they formed line of battle 
on the right and left of our regiment as follows : The Bucktails and First regi- 
ments on our left covering the wheat-field and extending over towards Devil's 
Den. the Sixth and Second regiments on our right extending along the stone 
fence in front of woods on our right. (This is as nearly as I can fix the forma- 
tion of First Brigade and our regiment ; our regiment being, as nearly as I can 
remember, in thecenterof this line of battle.) General Crawford, division com- 
mander, then rode up and speaking to Colonel Jackson said. "Colonel Jack.son, 
your regiment is worth its weight in gold, worth its weight in gold, sir." This 
the general repeated three or four times. This was a com)ilini(iit and all felt 
pnmd and were glad we were there. 

The line of battle remained in same position along the stone fence until the 
afternoon of :5d of July, when, after the repulse of Pickett's charge, General 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 263 

Meade came over to Little Round Top and ordered our line to go over and see 
how many people the enemy had in the woods at the head of the wheat-field. 
The enemy had a battery beyond the woods and when we moved over the stone 
fence into the woods this battery opened a close and galling lire. The Sixth 
Regiment was deployed as skirmishers with orders to silence that battery, and 
the line of battle, consisting of Second, Eleventh, Bucktailsand First regiments, 
moved diagonally across the wheat-field and just entered the woods beyond it, 
when the order was given to open fire. This was done, and after a few volleys 
(the Sixth having in the meantime silenced the battery) Colonel McCandless 
commanding the First Brigade gave the order "by the rear rank right-about face, 
right-turn, march." This movement when completed threw us on the enemy's 
flank, right flank, and we drove them in great disorder. The prisoners stated 
they had six thousand men in their line, whilst we had scarcely fifteen hun- 
dred men. On we went and finally the recall was sounded, a mistake as we 
afterwards learned, as no order of that kind was either given or thought of. 
The fruit of this day's movements was all of the enemy's dead on that part of 
the field, about six thousand stand of arms and a number of prisoners. We lay 
in the edge of the woods the night of the 3d. The enemy's dead in the field 
were just at edge of woods, on the Rose farm. I do not know exactly the point 
we reached this evening before the mistake was made withdrawing us from the 
position we had won, but in my opinion it was considerably in advance of the 
Rose farm. During the night of the od a cold rain set in and on the morning 
of the 4th of July, 1863, we were withdrawn from our position near Rose's 
house to the position at the stone fence front of wheat-field and woods occupied 
by us prior to our charge on 3d. Shortly after being so withdrawn ammunition 
was issued and we were informed that there would be a general advance made 
by the whole army, but the rain was falling, literally in sheets of water, and 
we were afterwards told that the advance had been abandoned by rea,son of the 
severit}^ of the rain, and so ended the battle of Gettysburg, so far as our regi- 
ment was concerned. In view of the statements heretofore given I feel that I 
can safely assert : 

First. That Colonel Jackson with his regiment, the Eleventh Pennsylvania 
Reserves, and the artillery held that part of Little Round Top on the afternoon 
of the 2d of July, 1863, at the supreme crisis of the battle. 

Second. That Colonel Jackson assumed all the responsibility of issuing the 
order to his regiment and did make the charge successfully, driving back the 
enemy which had defeated the Third Army Corps and two divisions and one 
brigade (the First and Second divisions. Second Brigade Third Division) of the 
Fifth Army Corps, and this with a force of less than four hundred men. 

Tliird. That the First Brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps did not 
reach the position in the front of the wheat-field and woods until some time 
after it had been occupied by the Eleventh Regiment under command of Colonel 
Jackson. 

Fourth. General Crawford was not seen by our regiment until after the First 
Brigade had come up and formed line of battle on the right and left of the 
Eleventh Regiment in the manner of formation heretofore given. 

Fifth. And that when General Crawford did join the line of battle, he gave 
the credit for leading the charge to the Eleventh Regiment, and did compliment 
Colonel Jackson as above stated on the wonderful results attained by the charge 
made by his regiment under his orders. 



264 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

Sixth. At that time no man dreamed that the action of the Klevcntli in leading 
the charge on that day and saving the day to the Union army would ever be 
belittled or ignored, both of which has been done. 

The above hasty and very brief statement has been written with a view of 
comparing notes and arranging the evidence relative to the duty performed by 
the Eleventh Kegiment Pennsylvania Reserve Corps at the battle oi' Gettysburg — 
specially so as to the evening of July 2, ISfi;] — and is written solely with a view 
to obtain justice for a regiment that always performed its duty, whether in 
camp, on the march, or on the field of battle. Other regiments were as good, but 
none better ; and now when more than a quarter of a century has elapsed since 
the organization of this regiment, it is meet and proper that the survivors should 
gather the testimony and show that this regiment did its duty. Otherwise 
history will record that — it was organized, mustered into the service, served 
three years and was mustered out. This won't do — we must brighten our 
memories, refer to our diaries, look up and write up our history, and demand 
that the truth be told of us and justice be done to our dead and to the survivors 
of our regiment. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

41^^ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

(Twelfth Reserves) 
ADDRESS BY BRIG.-GEN. M. D. HARDIN, U. S. A. 

THE Gettjsburg campaign, on the Union side, began with the battle of 
Brandy Station, one of the results of which was the knowledge that 
Lee's army was moving northwestwardly. This action was the most 
important, as well as the most severe, the cavalry of the Army of the 
Potomac had Ibught. By it the Union cavalry not only developed the Con- 
federate plan of campaign, but also learned its equality Avith the enemy's cavalry. 
As soon as General Hooker received certain information that Lee had extended 
his army from Fredericksburg to the Shenandoah Valley, he proposed to Gen- 
eral Halleck 1o attack Lee's rear at Fredericksburg. This movement was dis- 
approved. Hooker then gave orders preparatory to meeting Lee's army in its 
northwestward movement. There was some delay due to instructions from Gen- 
eral Halleck, but in a few days the Union army moved between the Confederate 
army and Washington, with the main body of its cavalry on its left (west) flank. 
The cavalry covered the Union army most thoroughly, it never performed its 
duty toward that army in a more -scientific (military) manner. ' The fighting 
about Aldie, Upperville and Middleburg, Va., was admitted by the Confed- 
erates to have been the best the Union cavalry had ever done, except at Brandy 
.Station (Beverly Ford;. The cavalry was supported l)y a small infantry force 
both at Brandy Station (Beverly Ford) and in the region about ISIiddleburg. 
The German oflicer Major Von Borcke, and others, state that Stuart's Con- 
federate cavalry was never more numerous (Von Borcke estimated it at twelve 
thousand and twenty -four guns), and never in l)etter condition. Considering 
this, we can then better appreciate; the fine work done by the Union cavalry in 
this advance northward. The Confederate cavalry considerably outnumbered 




PHOTO, tjy W. H, TIPTON, GETTYSBURG. 



PRINT: THE F. QUTEKUNST CO., PHI" 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 265 

the Union up to the time that General Stahel's Cavalry Division, from the de- 
fenses of Washington, joined the Army. The Army of the Potomac moved 
slowly northwestward, crossed the I'otomac, June 26-27. Lee's main army had 
crossed this river at or near Williamsport, Md,, June 23-24. When Hooker 
reached the vicinity of Washington his army had been much reduced by ex- 
pirations of terms of service (Hooker said about forty thousand). He now 
learned that there was a large number of troops (about thirty-seven thousand) 
in the defenses of Washington. Inasmuch as the Army of the Potomac now 
<'overed Washington, he requested that some of these troops be sent to reinforce 
his army. He was authorized to take Stahel's Division of Cavalry and the Penn- 
sylvania Reserve Division of Infatitry. He ordered the Pennsylvania Reserve 
Division (June 24) to join his army. 

When the Reserves heard that Lee again threatened to invade Maryland and 
possibly Pennsylvania, officers and men began to take on the military air which 
bad been somewhat put aside after Fredericksburg, and talk of applying to re- 
join their comrades of the Army of the Potomac on their march northward be- 
came prevalent. This went so far, in one case at least, as to be put in the form 
of a written petition. Whatever the form, the feeling of the command, from 
drummer boy to chaplain, was to take another turn at the "Johnnies" — to go 
i)i for a light — if Lee's armj' went as far north as Pennsylvania. 

June 24, 1863, the Twelfth Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Gustin command- 
ing, formed a part of the Third Brigade ; Colonel Fisher commanded the bri- 
gade and General Crawford the Reserve Division. The Third Brigade, consisting 
of the Fifth Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Dare ; Tenth, Colonel Warner ; Ninth, 
Colonel Anderson ; Eleventh, Colonel Jackson, and Twelfth, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Gustin, -was in camp at Minor's Hill, Virginia. The First Brigade, Colonel 
McCandless commanding, consisting of the First Rifles (Bucktails), First, Second 
and Sixth regiments, was in camp at Fairfax Court House. Second Brigade, 
Colonel Sickel commanding, consisting of Third, Fourth, Seventh and Eighth 
regiments, was on provost duty in Alexandria, Va. In accordance with in- 
structions from General Hooker, General Crawford ordered the three brigades of 
the Pennsylvania Reserve Division to march on the 25th. The First and Third 
brigades moved accordingly, but the Second Brigade was detained by General 
Slough, Military Governor of Alexandria. He thought a veteran brigade neces- 
sary to keep convalescents in camp ! In violation of all military principles (and 
it might possibly be said in violation of patriotic motives) he retained this 
splendid body of veterans against their will and in disobedience of General 
Hooker's orders. However, he was sustained by the action of the military 
coterie which surrounded our noble President. This coterie never forgave 
Hooker for his first dispatch upon assuming command of the Army of the Po- 
tomac, namely, requesting that General Stone be made his chief-of-staft". Not 
(inly did this coterie refuse to entertain General Hooker's charges against Gen- 
eral Slough, but it refused him control of the large force at Maryland Heights, 
and ultimately forced him to throw up the command of the army. 

The Twelfth Regiment moved with the Third Brigade, in a rain storm, on 
the 26th, marching to Goose Creek, Va. The division had been delayed two 
days waiting for transportation. The First Brigade joined the Third en route 
the two brigades, about three thousand four hundred and seventeen strong, 
camping together at Goose Creek. On the 37th the division moved at daylight, 
marched along the Leesburg turnpike. It was much delaj'ed by the trains of 



266 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

tlie Army of tlie Potomac, aiul by its own train, (ienoral Crawford telegraphed 
General Meade commanding the Fifth Corixs as lollows : 

" On the Monocacy, June 27, 4.15 p. m. 
"General: 1 have received orders from headquurte/s Army of the Potomac to join 
your corps ; I am on my way and just in from the rear ; to-night I will encamp above 
the mouth of the Monocacy. as I find my train, which is entirely new, cannot go far- 
ther; have two brigades; Second detached at Alexandria. Iff receive no instructions 
to the contrary, I shall move at daylight, to overtake, if possible, your command." 

The division crossed the Potomac at Edwards' Ferry on pontoon bridge, and 
(tamped at night at mouth of the Monocacy. Colonel Hardin, of Twelfth, joined 
en route. "Sunday, 28th, clear and pleasant, moved atdaylight and soon crossed 
the aqueduct of Chesapeake and Ohio canal at the Monocacy, and passed through 
Buckeystown, bivouacked on Ballinger's creek about two miles from Frederick, 
Md. ; here joined the Fifth Corps." General Jleade was this day assigned to 
the command of the Army of the Potomac, General Sykes to that of the Fifth 
Corps. Hooker had advanced a portion of his army through South ilountain 
passes, with the view of cutting Lee's communications, but this movement •was 
disapproved at Washington, and the corps advanced through the mountains were 
ordered back to Frederick and directed to proceed up the eastbase of these mount- 
ains. This latter movement was taking place when the Reserve Division joined 
the army. The greater part of the Union armj- at this time rested near Fred- 
erick. At this date (June 28), Lee's army -was stretched from Hager.stown to 
the Susquehanna near Harrisburg, and to York. Pa. Ewell's Corps at Cai-lisle 
and York ; Lee's headquarters with Longstreet's and Hill's corps near Cham- 
bersburg. Lee was preparing to cross the Susquehanna, but that night, he says, 
" he learned from a scout that the Union army had crossed the Potomac and was 
threatening his communications at South Mountain." " It was resolved." he 
says, "to concentrate the army east of the mountains." 

Meade states, ' • That he had no special plan but to move northward until he 
made Lee let go of the Susquehanna." Meade learned, on the oOth, that Lee 
was moving Avith his main force to the east side of the mountains, and he de- 
cided to concentrate his army on Pipe creek. 

There was an assemblage of officers of the Keserve Division, whilst it was 
camped near Frederick, looking over maps of the country, and guessing at the 
future movements of the Union and Confederate armies. Colonel ^Varner of the 
Tenth, and Colonel Hardin of the Twelfth, agreed that the chances were in favor 
of a fight at or near Gettysburg, the next good crossing place in the mountains, 
north of our then po.sition, as shown by the maps we had. The morning of the 
29th, the writer visited Frederick and conversed with oflicers of General Key- 
nolds' command' (First and Eleventh corps), all thought they were going to 
Gettysburg, or spoke of that place as their ultimate destination. Returning 
towards camp the writer met the division en route to Frederick. It had left 
Balling(;r's creek about noon. ^Ve marched but a short distance when the divi- 
sion was slopped to let other troops take precedence. The division remained 
here several hours, it then followed the artillery reserve. The writer during 
this delay, visited his old friend, Lieutenant "Cog" Hazlctt, who commanded 
Battery " D," Fifth United Stiitcs Artillery. The weather was very warm and 
Lieutenant Hazlett wore a small soft white hat. As the writer left him to re- 
join his command, he called back, "'Cog' we are going to have a light soon, 
don't wear that white hat into battle." " At 7 p. m., we crossed the Monocacy 
bridge on the Jialtiuiore pike and turned uj) the bank of the stream heading 



Pennsylvania at Getty sh/Dij. 267 

north, soon after we waded the stream and struck across the fields, and aljoiit 
10 p. ni., bivouacked in a wood, iiaving made a tiresome day's march of ten 
miles. ' ■ The long delay before mentioned caused our division to get far behind 
the other divisions of the corps, wc had to rush along, Avell into the night, to 
reach the corps camp, where the leading divisions had arrived early in the even- 
ing and in good order. Having arrived in camp late, and it ])eing very dark, 
we made a bivouac, whilst we saw the other divisions of the Fifth Cordis in a 
regular camp. Most of us were so hot and tired we dropped down and went to 
sleep without even making coffee. A l)ad beginning for a long march. "The 
morning of the 30th, we started early, passed through Liberty, Union Bridge 
and Uniontown (a pontoon train accompanied us this day), marched twenty miles 
and bivouacked. Near dark were mustered two miles beyond Uniontown. ' ' The 
marching all the forenoon was very slow with many stops, but in the afternoon 
we were again rushed along. This march was the cause of great injustice done 
the division by our new corps commander, in that he reported to the army com- 
mander that our division could not march as fast as the other divisions. It will 
be noted that these other divisions had clear roads, no trains to follow, early 
start, no Ibrced delays, nothing to prevent them from making their marches in 
time. 

The Twelfth Regiment, moving with the Pennsylvania Reserve Division, left 
camp two miles beyond Uniontown, at 5 a. m., July 1. Hearing of Confederate 
cavalry in the country, skirmi.shers and flankers were thrown out to cover the 
division, which moved thus several miles. About 2 p. m.. halted on Pennsyl- 
vania State line ; at 3 p. m. . were addres.sed by General Crawford. General 
Meade's orders on the exijected battle had been read to us before we started. We 
then moved on till we came to a fine open woods where we rested till dark. All 
day we had been enjoying the cherries which overloaded the trees along the road- 
side. The turnpike along which we marched a great part of the daj' was white, 
hot and dusty. We passed Kili>atrick's battle-field at Hanover, and, at dark, 
took up our march again, and continued moving until utterly exhausted ; aljout 
dawn we dropped down, compelling a halt of the division. The marching dur- 
ing the night had been without proper halts. After resting about an hour we 
again took up the march, and continued it across country till about 12.30 ]). m.. 
when we arrived on the battle-field on the Baltimore pike, in rear of the center 
of the arm}'. 

Our division in the very hot weather, marched in the worst possible manner, 
accomplished nearly seventy miles in three and a half days, and on the after- 
noon and evening of the fourth day went to the top of Big Round Toj). In the 
meantime. General Buford, commanding a cavalry division, left Middleburg, 
Md., on 29th, arrived at Gettysburg on 30th; passing through Gettysburg at 
noon (June 30), he reconnoitred west and north. He was here long enough to 
see the advantages of the Gettysburg position, and he determined to hold it 
until he was driven away or relieved by infantry. The night of June 30, he 
notified General Reynolds, '"that Hill's Confederate Corps was camped nine 
miles west of Gettysburg, and Longstreet's l>ehiud Hill's ; that no Confederate 
force had yet passed through the mountains from the north toward Gettysburg, 
but that such force would soon be at Heidlersburg. ' ' This information was sub- 
sequently shown to be correct. General Meade had directed General Reynolds, 
" that if he has to fall back, to do so on Emmitsburg, that the Third and Twelfth 
corps will come to the assistance there of his and the Eleventh Corps." When 



268 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

(.itMU'ial Reynolds reaclie<l Gettysburg, at ■^.3.") a. in., July 1, Buford -was with 
his artillery and dismounted skirmishers, standing off Hill's troops. Kcynold.s 
joined Hulbrd in the.seminai-y tower, and as old comi)anions in arms, with jhm- 
fect conrKk^nee in each other, discussed the position and the military situation. 
Keynolds decided at once to support Buford. He knew that if his troops couhl 
be brought up promptly to this position, Lee coukl be made to take the offen- 
sive, or he <-ompelled to fall ba(;k with his whole force without fighting. And 
thus, if a battle took place here, the Union army would be enabled to fight on 
the defensive. Buford promised to hold on until Jieynolds' batteries and infantry 
could get u]). Reynolds felt sure his corps with the Eleventh could hold on until 
the Third and Twelfth C(mld reinforce them. The information he had of Lee's 
army, showed that it was almost as badly scattered as was the Army of the Po- 
tomac. Four corps of tlie Union army could reach this ground by the early 
afternoon, and the Second Corps by sundown. Force enough, with jjroper man- 
agement and good fighting, to withstand Lee's whole army coming up from sev- 
eral directions until the whole of the L'nion army could be assembled. It was 
most fortunate for the Union side that it had such intelligent and energetic gen- 
erals in advance as Rej^nolds and Buford, generals who had the confidence of 
the army commander. General Meade giving General Reynolds (a fighting gen- 
eral) his advance with three corps, proved to that general, as to the world, that 
General Meade was not attempting to avoid a battle, but was only anxious that 
the figlil. which must take place, sliould be a defensive one, on his side, if ik)s- 
.sible. A tow minutes after liis arrival, as soon as he had taken a look at the 
ground liom the seminary tower and had had a tew minutes conversation with 
Buford, General Keynolds, wlio was a most accomplished artilleryman, seeing 
what fine ground laj' in every direction to the front for artillery (the arm well 
known to preponderate in the Army of the Potomac, more powerful and more 
numerous than Lee's, the only arm in which the Union army was superior to 
the Confederate), a battle-field to make an artillerj-man grow enthusiastic, re- 
quested Buford to hold on till his (Reynolds') batteries and infantry could come 
tip. Ilesentolf m hot haste .several othcers for his o^Ml and the Eleventh Corjxs 
batteries, and burr}' up his own and Howard's infantry. He then went to select 
ground for his batteries (he had brought up with him Captain Hall, chief of 
artillery of Ins leading division), so that no time would be lost. Reynolds thus 
anticipated the present German instructions for battle ! In a few minutes Hall's 
Battery arrived and was immediately posted. Soon after, Reynolds' First Divi- 
sion came up and was posted to support the First Corps and Buford 's batteries. 
In the expectation of the early arrival of Howard's batteries, General Reynolds 
now went to select positions for them, whilst doing so, lie is struck down by a 
sharpshooter. Reynolds had already seized this good position, and had given 
such an impetus to his command, that it went on without a break, in carrying 
out his designs, under his able fighting successor, General Doul)leday. Rey- 
nolds had planted the advance of the Union army in Lee's route, he had secured 
a jmsition acro.ss all the roads leading east of the mountains at this ])oint, a 
point where the Confederate army must assemble, if it united east of 1 h« mount- 
ains. Jieynolds might have had three corps at Gettysburg, earlier in the day, 
but he would not run the risk of throwing this force against Lee's whole army, 
which might be at Gettysburg at the same time. He thus showed his prudence, 
but when he arrived there in person and was satisfied that the information re- 
ceived from P.uford during the past night was correct, and learned that Lee's 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 269 

ai-niy was still en rouiv to assemble at this point, he acted a.s the jjioinpt and in- 
teiligeiit soldier that lie was. 

Bul'oid's batteries and dismounted skirmishers succeeded in holdinsi the enemy 
on the west side of Willoughliy run till Wadsworth's Division arrived. Captain 
Hall, commanding the artillery of this division, had preceded the infantry and 
had posted his own battery in aid of ]5nford's batteries, which were doing heroic 
service on the Chambersburg road. As soon as it arrived, Cutler's Brigade was 
posted on either side of the Chambersburg road and acro.ss an old railroad 
cut, to support these batteries. Meredith's (Iron) Brigade was sent to the 
left of the road to ocrupj^ a piece of woods which Hill's troops were entering. 
Heth (Confederate division commander) attacked with four of his brigades at 
once the pf)sition held by Reynolds' force. The three right regiments of Cutler's 
Brig-ade were forced back. Reynolds ordered Meredith's Brigade to attack 
across the front of the Confederate force. This attack was successful, the Con- 
federate General Archer and many of his men were captured. 

These dispositions were just completed, in which his two brigades had de- 
feated and almost destroyed two brigades of the enemy, when this accomplished 
general was killed. The falling back of Cutler's right, left Hall's Battery ex- 
posed, but the Fourteenth Brooklyn, Niuety-tifthNew York and Sixth Wisconsin, 
changed front and charged the Mississippi troops attacking Hall's Battery and 
captured two Mississippi regiments in the old railroad cut. Rowley's Division 
of the First Corps was put in here ; Robinson's division of First Corps was held 
in reserve on Seminary Hill. Soon Rodes' division of Ewell's Confederate Corps 
attacked from the direction of Carlisle, and Robinson's Division was advanced to 
meet it. Baxter's Brigade went in on the right of Cutler, and afterward took 
Cutler's position. General Paul's brigade went on right of Baxter's. Robin- 
son's Division resisted well Rodes' attack and captured three North Carolina 
regiments. So far the First Corps had more than held its own. ' ' If the Eleventh 
Corps had been as well handled and fought, the day would probably have seen 
no reverse." General Howard spread his two divisions. Barlow's and Schurz's 
to the right of the First Corps, but did not make strong connection with it. The 
Confederates seized Oak Hill, a iirominent point between the Union corps, and 
charging from this point, turned the right of the Fir.st Corps and the left of the 
Eleventh. Fortunately General Howard had placed one of his divisions, Stein- 
wehr's, in reserve on Cemetery Hill, and the left of the First Corps fell back in 
order and covered the retreat of the artillery and ambulances. But near five 
thousand prisonei'S were left in the enemy's hands. General Reynolds had, 
early in the day, sent word to General Meade that the enemy was in force near 
Cashtown and advancing on Gettysburg, and that he would endeavor to hold 
Gettysburg till reinforced. Soon after General Reynolds was killed the cool- 
headed Buford thought matters were not being conducted very well, and he sent 
off a despatch to the effect that. ' " there seemed to be no head, ' ' and requested that 
some one be sent forward to command. It was, no doubt, in answer to this re- 
quest that General Hancock was sent forward to take supreme command. When 
he arrived, matters looked badly, so much so, that he at first thought the part 
of the army here would have to be moved back. Soon, however, the batteries got 
into position on the left of the town, and Steinwehr's Division with Howard's 
batteries showed a good front on the right, and the advantages of the position 
were explained to him, when he saw that Lee would have to continue to at- 
tack, so that it was only a (jnestion whether the Union army could at this point 



270 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

hold its iwsition. By sundown all was ready to meet an attack. The Union 
position at this time appeared so strong General Lee and his corps commanders 
concluded thoj- could not assault it that cA'cning with success. Thus, two Union 
corps, even with the loss of their commander, had been sufficient to hold Lee 
for an entire d.ny. How much easier and with howniuch less loss it could have 
been done if Reynolds had lived and been in command of three or four corps. 
General Lee's troops were disposed on Seminary Ridge, about one mile from the 
Lf^nion line and parallel to it. The Confederate line was about five miles long, 
concave to the Union line which Avas about three miles long. Lee's concave po- 
sition enabled him to utilize his large reserve artillery, both tor connecting his 
wings and to crush the Union artillery, which latter had to be concentrated too 
much (on the third day the guns were only a yard apart). The defects of Lee's 
position were, his inability to make the troops on his long line act together,'aud 
his inability to reinforce either wing promptly, and these were ijrobably the 
ttauses of the failure of his attacks. If he had entrenched his center and either 
of his flanks and had used his main army on either of Meade's flanks he would 
probably have succeeded in dislodging the Union army. It seems to have been 
the intention, that Ewell's Corps should attack early on the 2d, also it Avas 
thought Longstreet wotild be in position to attack on Confederate right by 9 
a. m. Such Avas no doubt the understanding amongst the senior Confederate 
generals (except Longstreet) Avhen they sei)arated for the night (July 1). Hoav- 
eA-er, Avhen morning came and the formidable position of the Union arm3'croAvned 
with earth Avorks and artillery was .seen both by General Lee and General Ewell. 
General Lee (AvhoAvent early to Ewell's front) hesitated to assault until he could 
have thorough reconnoissances made and until Longstreet's Corps .should be iip. 
General Meade noticing the moA-ements of Ewell's Corps and being strong him- 
self on his right, early in the morning ordered an attack by the Twelfth and 
Fifth corps, to be supported by the Sixth. But Slocum. commanding the 
Twelfth, and Warren, chief of engineers of the army, reported the ground un- 
favorable ; also the Fifth Corps did not come up in good shape to attack before 
noon, and the Sixth Avas then still far off. There has been much controAersy 
betAveen the Confederate generals, since the Avar, as to Avhen Longstreet ought 
to have been ready to attack, also as to the time EavcII should have supported 
Longstreet's attack. It Avould appear that General Lee sent one of his staff early 
in the day to reconnoitre in front of the Union left. This officer Avent over the 
ground about the peach orchard, Avhen he returned he told General Lee that this 
was favorable ground for making an attack. At this time. Sickles' Thiixl Corps 
A\-as massed on the left of the Second, on Cemetery Ridge. Tlie ground on Lee's 
right consi-sted principally of open fields. Longstreet's command Avas sent in a 
round-about Avay to get to the peach orchard position, .so as not to be seen by 
the Union signal officer on Little Round Toi>. Longstreet himself was in no 
hurry,ashe did not Avantto attack Avithout his Third Division (Pickett's). I\Iore- 
over, he states that the agreement on beginning the invasion Avas, " that there 
should be no offensive battle delivered by their army." If this is true, General 
Reynolds is entitled to credit for making Lee change his plan. Whilst Longstreet 
was moving around the Union left, Sickles Avas moving out his corps and tak- 
ing position on the Union side of the peach orchard. The controversy betAvccn 
Generals Meade and Sickles in regard to this movement is Avell knoAvn. 

It seems to the writer that this matter stands about as follows : General IMeade 
had l)een all the Tiiornitig studying liis riglit witli a view of attacking or of re- 



Peansi/Ivnnia (if Geffi/shunj. 271 

ceiving au attack thero, no report luul readied liiin tliat Confederate troops were 
threatening his left. There was much open ground in front of liis left ; JMead'i 
supposed his cavalry (which had covered itself with honor tlie ilay J)efore) which 
had heen directed to watch the Hank, would he able to give him early warning 
of any extensive movement of the enemy in that direction. Early in the after- 
noon, upon request of General Sickles to have ground selected for his corps to 
occupy, General Hunt, chief of artillery of the Union army, was sent to assist 
General Sickles in selecting a position. Sickles and Hunt could not find any 
good line in this region without going out very far to Sickles' front. It is now- 
well known that the ground in front of Little Round Top is a most difficult 
region in Avhicli to select a line of battle. Artillery could be of no u.se on the 
Little Round Top line, and how far the woods and difficult countrj' extended 
to the left-front, neither Hunt nor Sickles knew. Taking into consideration 
the short time they had to select a position in .so difficult a country, it was 
probably as well done as it could have been. Between 2 and 3 p. m. the signal 
officer on Little Round Top and the skirmishers of Sickles' command detected 
Longstreet's movement. At General Sickles' urgent request. General Meade 
went to his left about 3.30 p. m. to look up ground for Sickles' Corps. The 
fact seems to be that General Meade did not believe he would be attacked on 
the left. He thought his cavalry would certainly give him ample notice of any 
threatened attack on that front so that he would have time to prepare for it. If 
the cavalry had been where General Meade thought, and had reason to believe 
it to be, he would have had such notice. But it happened that Merritt's 
Brigade of Buford's Division, which had been ordered to relieve some of Gregg's 
Division, had left here before Gregg's Cavalry arrived to relieve Merritt ; thus, 
at this critical time of the day there was no cavalry on the Union left-front. 
General Meade arrived on his left just as Longstreet's attack was beginning, 
and as Sickles' line was very far out in advance of Hancock, being ignorant of 
the region. General Meade thought Sickles had mo\ed his line unnece.ssarily 
far out. However, when Sickles and Hunt told him what a tangled place the 
ground in front of Little Round Top was, he concluded to reinforce Sickles 
where he was. Moreover, there was then little or no time left to select a new 
line. The subsequent loss of the Third Corps position was due to the fact that 
the Fifth and Sixth corps were not brought up soon enough, the one to Sickles' 
support, the other to form a second line on the Little Round Top ridge. If 
General Meade had been notified by his cavalry of Longstreet's movement, he 
would certainly have had the Fifth and Sixth corps in place to meet this at- 
tack. Upon what small matters turn the fate of battles ! 

The new position of Sickles brought Humphreys' Division several hundred 
yards to the left-front of the Second Corps, and posted on the Emmittsburg road. 
Graham's Brigade of Birney's Division on the same road on Humphreys' left, 
reaching to the peach orchard. Ward's and De Trobriand's brigades stretched 
back to the rear, at right angles to Graham's Brigade, in front, respectivelj^ of 
the wheat-field and of Devil's Den. Longstreet's attack with artillery began 
about 3 p. ni., he concentrated his artillery opposite the angle of Sickles' Corps 
at the peach orchard, and opened such a concentrated fire on the LTnion artil- 
lery at this point as to overwhelm it. He then Ijegan his attack with his in- 
fantry, on his right, with Hood's Division, which pushed into the Avoods and 
outflanked the Third Corps on its left. Law's Brigade of Hood's Division, on 
extreme Confederate right, went over Big Round Top and come out on the 



272 Pennsylvania at Getfi/shnyg. 

Union ambulances, but this brigade had moved too far to its right, it hatl lost 
connection with balance of Hood's command, and it was ordered to move to its 
left. Hood's other brigades broke through the left of De Trobriand's line and 
began to pass up and around Little Round Top. The Union left being thus 
flanked and beginning to give waj' McLaws' Division was pushed in on Hood's 
left, it carried the center of the Third Corps position. This corps was too weak 
to hold so long a line. The Union troops would now have had to fall back, but 
reinforcements commenced arriving just as the Confederates reached the Union 
position. Humphreys, who was not at tirst attacked, sent Burling's Brigade 
to Birnej^'s assistance. The whole Fifth Corps was ordered up to the support 
of Birney's line. Barnes' (Fii-st Division) arrived finst, Tilton's and Sweitzer's 
brigades of this division going in near the peach orchard ; Vincent's Brigade, 
at the request of General Warren, chief-engineer of the army, to Little Round 
Top ; then cjtme Caldwell's Division of the Second Corps to the wheat-field, 
where its right was turned, and then two brigades of the Second Division of the 
Fifth Corps to the wheat-field, where they had scarcely arrived when their right 
was turned and they retreated to the position from which they had started, on 
the right of Little Round Top. 

Soon McLaws' attack was supported by Anderson's Division of Hill's Corps, 
and Humphreys although aided by Graham's Brigade, was driven back from the 
Emmitsburg road. Hancock sent two regiments of Gibbon's Division and Wil- 
lard's Brigade of Hays' Division to assist Humphreys. General Sickles was here 
wounded, and General Hancock, assuming command of the Third Corps, sent two 
additional regiments to help Humphreys. Finally General Meade brought up 
Staunard's Brigade, and a number of batteries were posted on Hancock's line, 
and the Sixth Corps came up and took the position on the right of Little Round 
Top, from which the Third Corps had moved out. In the meantime Hood's 
troops had made a desperate effort to carry Little Round Top and the ravine be- 
tween it and Big Round Top. General Warren going early in the action to the 
signal station on Little Round Top, had seen Hood's troops approaching that 
position. The signal service men were about leaving when Warren arrived. He 
ordered them to remain and he hurried off for troops to put on Little Round Top. 
Tiie Fifth Corps was coming up, and as he had formerly served most gallantly 
in command of a brigade of t hat corps, his request for a brigade was immediately 
answered by General Barnes wiio .sent Vincent's Brigade, which, moving at a 
double-quick, beat the Te.xans of Hood's command to the top of Little Round 
Top. The fighting for this hill was fierce. Law's Brigade ijushing through be- 
tween Little and Big Round Top contended with Vincent for this ravine. 
Vincent was soon supported by Weed's Brigade of the Second Divi.sion ol' the 
Fifth Corps, and Hazlett's Battery was carried to the top of liittle Round Top. 
When the ammunition of Vincent's and Weed's brigades was expended (both 
these brigade commanders being killed), Fisher's Brigade of the Reserves was 
hurried to their support. By this time the Confederates had become exhausted, 
and those who had not fallen back were captured. Upon arriving on the battle- 
field about 12.30 p. m., the Twelfth Regiment, as the entire division of the Re- 
serves, was gi\ en time to rest and to make a full meal, the first since leaving 
Frederick, Md. As soon as we had feasted, many of the mounted oflicers of the 
division started out to see the line of battle. We rode up to the rear of the town 
•of fJettysburg, then moved along the line of l)attle to General Meade's head- 
quarters, when we had a conversation with members of his staff, then Ave started 



Pcnnsi/frdiu't/ at Geftt/s/>nnj. 27;5 

to ride down General Hano<K-k"s line, wlicu we lieard the commencement of 
Sickles' tight. We galloped over to our camp where we found the Fifth Corps 
moving oli' to Sickles' support. We, at that time, had never heard of iiound 
Top, Big or Little. The First Division ot the corps led, followed by the Second 
Division, General Ajues commanding. Then came our division. Third Brigade 
leading, which at that time was well tilled and closed up. We moved westerly 
along a wood road and soon came to a i)hice where the road was narrow and cor- 
duroyed, a fence on one side and brusli on the other ; woods on both sides. As 
we advanced we began to meet wounded men returning, soon the road was .so 
encumbered with wounded walking to the rear, and amV)ulances going the same 
way, we had to take to the woods along side of the road. This caused some 
delay. We filed up on the north side of the ridge to the right of Little Round 
Top. The ground here was rocky and covered with thick brush, some time was 
taken up in getting into iwsition. eventually we got into line by brigade front, 
the Third Brigade in front. We then advanced to the crest of the ridge. As 
we reached the crest we got our first view of the battle on the left, it was not 
a reassuring sight ! The whole valley between us and the ridge opposite, about 
a third of a mile ofi' was filled solid, with our retreating soldiers and batteries, 
thousands of the soldiers wounded and all the batteries disabled. Some of the 
men, especially toward the left-front, were retreating at a run. The enemy's 
line was only visible by the white puffs of smoke at the crest of the opposite 
ridge. Very few of our men were tiring — a man now and then would stop and 
take a shot. This gi-eat mass of thousands in the valley was moving sullenly 
to the rear at a walk. There seemed no organized force, a mere mass of men, 
officers and men, inextricably mixed — all seeking safety behind the ridjie upon 
which we stood. A battery was making its way into position in the underbrush 
on our right and a few guns in position on the ridge to our left (since called 
Little Round Top), were firing slowly at the enemy in the woods beyond the 
opposite ridge. As soon as the division got into position {there being a lull in 
the action at this time) the writer rode up the ridge to the left to get a look at 
the enemy's position, when near the top he met a party of officers and men carrv- 
ing General Weed, who was mortally wounded. The writer who knew the gen- 
eral personally, stopped to see if he could be of any service. Whilst conversing 
here, another party came along bringing back his old friend. Lieutenant Hazlett. 
who in the haste of going into action had forgotten that fatal white hat. He 
was shot through the head, probably by the same sharpshooter who had killed 
General Weed. 

Finding he could see little more here tha.n at the position the division occu- 
pied, the writer started down ; he met the Twelfth Regiment coming up with 
the Third Brigade except the Eleventh Regiment. We scrambled up and over 
Little Round Top and moved down the left-front, going to the assistance of 
Vincent's Brigade. As the Third Brigade moved away, the P^irst Brigade was 
ordered to advance to the front. The Eleventh Regiment lieing still in its 
position when the First Brigade came up to the front line, it joined that bri- 
gade and advanced with it. We saw the First Brigade and Eleventh Regiment 
make their gallant advance through the retreating multitude, as we clambered 
over the rocks on top of Little Round Top. We joined in their cheer and 
started at a double-quick down the left-front of Little Round Top, stumbling 
over rocks, and the numerous dead of Vincent's and Weed's gallant brigades. 
As we advanced, a few scattering shots came from the retiring enemy. Our 
18 



274 Pennsylvania at (rcttyshnrq. 

lulvancp was most lortvinate as Viuceiit's and Word's brigades liiwl expended all 
their annnunition. The Confederates (several hundred I reniainiiif;; between 
liig and Little Round Top. seeing and hearing our advance, laid down their 
arms and became prisoners to the brigades which were so well entitled to re- 
ceive them. Darkness ended the contest. Thus our small division, coming on 
the field in the nick of time and advancing boldly, turned the tide of succe.ss 
on the left, and the enemy's great efforts, on this front, were rendered entirely 
futile. 

About 9 ]). m. Colonel Fisher commanding the Third Brigade, with the con- 
sent of the division commander, ordered an advance up Big Round Top. The 
Twentieth Maine deployed as .skirmishers, the Fifth and Twelfth regiments to 
follow in supiwrt in line of battle. The .skirmishers started promptly, but on 
account of the darkness and difficulty of deploying into line in this rough place, 
it was some minutes after they started that the line of the Fifth and Twelfth 
followed. 

The skirmishers went promptly to the top of the mountain, only an occasional 
shot was fired by the Confederates. The Fifth and Twelfth regiments advanced 
at the word of command given in Colonel Fisher's stentorian tones. The line 
uixm advancing in utter darkness was almost immediately broken and became 
confu.sed by the rocky, precipitous and difficult ground. Officers became .sep- 
arated from their men, but all pushed on up the mountain, when about one- 
third way up all order was lo.st. Officers and men of dilferent companies and 
even of different regiments became intermingled. The commanding officers of 
the brigade and the regiments began calling to each other, the rocks and woods 
resounded with the cries. It is said, and no doubt with good reason, that the 
Confederate troops stationed at this time on the mountain, hearing all this 
noise, and knowing that the Sixth Corps had lately arrived, believing that 
whole corjjs was al)out taking position on Big Round Top, hastily retreated 
down their side of the mountain. The confusion was so great that officers and 
men of the Fifth and Twelfth regiments concluded to return to the jjosition 
from which they had .started, the valley between Big and Little Round Top. 
In making this ascent, a number of Confederate i)risoners fell into the possession 
of the Fifth and Twelfth regiments. A .squad of officers and men i about seventy) 
in whi(;h tlie writer found himself upon fir.st descending to the foot of the 
mountain, .sent forward two men to investigate the firstc:amp fires seen. These 
sroMis were answered by members of the Fifteenth Alabama. Our party then, 
afrei- discussion, concluded to move around the mountain side toward the left 
or south in which direction we were .sure of finding the Sixth Corps' pickets. 
We in this way. after an hour's very hard march, found the Vermont Brigade 
pickets and went at once to our starting point. In the meantime nearly all 
the members of the Fifth and Twelfth regiments had found their way l)ack to 
the same plai-e. The Twentieth Maine skirmishers finding themselves unsuj)- 
ported had returned to this starting point. It was now suggested that the 
Fifth and Twelfth regiments should manrh up the mountain by the flank, the 
Twentieth Maine skirmishers leading as before, this plan was adopted. Ad- 
vancing in this manner, all soon reached the top in good order. The Twelfth 
on the crest : the Fifth on its right ; the Twentieth Maine skirmi.shers remained 
out a.s )»ickets toward the left-front. The Fifth and Twelfth regiments threw 
nut i>icket.s in their front and to connect with the troops on the right. The 
Ninth and TcmHi Reserves had been left in line across the ravine between Little 



Penrifit/lvduia af Gettysburg. 275 

and Big Round Top. Two reginiciils of Vincent's Brigado wore posted in the 
interval between the riglit of tiie IMltli Reserves and the Ninth and Tenth Re- 
serves, but almost at right angles to the general line. iSee map accompanying 
the report of the commander of Vincent's Brigade. ) The line remained thus 
until daylight when a regular cf)nnected lin<! was Ibrmed from the top of Big 
Round Top to the top of Litth^ Round To]), and stone breastworks were thrown 
u}), which still stand (1888) as we left them. There was some sharpshooting 
on both sides (July 3d), Frank H. Heuch, Comi^any A, Twelfth Regiment, was 
killed and Joseph Aikens. Company G, Twelfth Regiment, wounded. 

The Confederates on their right, about dark, slowly withdrew to the line the 
Third Union Corps had held. Ewell began his attack from Confederate left about 
sunset, he found the Union line stripped along his left, there wa-s nothing but 
Greene's Brigade of the Twelfth Corps on the Union extreme right. Early at- 
tacked Cemetery Hill and Johnson, Culp's Hill. Pearly s attack was g.allantly 
made but failed. .Tohnson cairied the Union works on his left and remained in 
po.ssession there. The result of the day's lighting has been described as follows : 

"Longstreet had carried the whole front on which the Third Corps had been 
drawn ; Ewell's left was thru.st within the breastworks on the Union right, in 
a jxjsition, which if held by him, would enable him to take Meade's entire line 
in reserve, and the Union loss in the two days' combat had already reached the 
frightful aggregate of upwards of twenty thousand. But the army and corps 
commanders on Union side that night were unanimous for fighting it out here." 

If this is a just summary of the results of the two days lighting, was not Gen- 
eral Lee justified in ordering an assault on the Union center? If that had yielded 
at all, would not Longstreet's two other divisions on Confederate right and 
Ewell's whole corps on their left have followed up the success and overwhelmed 
the Union army? We now know, that an attack made in broad daylight, over 
open ground, against good troops, armed with modern weapons, although made 
strictly in accordance with the liattle tacticsof Frederick II. and Napoleon, must 
fail. As witness this grand attack and many made by Gene'ral Grant's army 
en route to Richmond. In this third da}''s magnificent assault and lieroic de- 
fense our regiment was only a deeply interested spectator. The grand scene 
was clearly in view to any one who would chance his life against the deadly 
sharpshooters by raising his head above tiie stone breastwork. 

The First Brigade of the Reserves, under command of Colonel McCandless, 
advanced late in the afternoon of the 3d, and b}' its bold and skilful movements 
defeated a force more than twice its strength, and recovered all the ground lo.st 
by the Union army on the 2d. 

The Third Brigade remained in the breastworks on Big Round Top until the 
morning of the oth, when it moved off with the Fifth Corps toward Emmitsburg. 

The enemy withdrew the night of the 3d and morning of the 4th. Their 
absence being soon detected, many of us took this opiwrtnnity to visit the battle- 
field on the left and front. 

The criticism of General Me.ade for not attacking the Confederate army after 
Gettysburg, was refuted by subsequent events. Whatchance had General Meade 
with a force no larger than the enemy, when General Grant Avith more than 
double the enemy's force in his repeated assaults, suffered such heavy Icsses and 
accomplished so little? The numbers actually engaged in the fighting were 
nearly equal. The Confederates were much the stronger July 1. The two sides 
were about equal the second day, the Union force probably the stronger the third 



'276 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

day. The losses. July l-;>, as given by tlu- Adjutaut-(;euerars office, were : 
'•Union, twenty-three thousand and three : Confederate, twenty thousand lour 
hundred and hl'ty-oue. 

•'Notk: Confederate prisoners by name, wounded ;ind unwounded, twelve 
thousand two hundred and twenty-seven. Medical-Director of Army of the Po- 
tomac reported .six thousand eight hundred aud two Confederates wounded." 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

42° REGIMENT INFANTRY 

(Thirteenth Reserves, First Rifles) 

ADDRESS OF CAPTAIN JOHN P. BARD 

4FTER Burn.side's "Mud March" in January, 1863, the division of the 

/ \ I'einisvlvania Reserves, on account of the terrible loss it had sustained 

r\ in the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, 1862, was ordered to 

the Department of Washington for the purpose of recruiting its ranks. 

The First Brigade, to which the Bucktail Regiment belonged, was in camp at 

Fairfax Station, on the Orange and Alexandria railroad, when the battle of 

Chancellorsville was fought, where they remained until they were ordered to 

rejoin the Army of the Potomac. 

When they received the news that Lee had assumed the oflfensive and threat- 
ened an invasion of the North, and that Hooker's army was falling back toward 
Washington, the men composing this division of Pennsylvaniaus, fired with the 
patriotic zeal and heroism that had characterized them on many hard-fought 
fields of battle, demanded that their fortunes be again joined with the oft de- 
feated, but never conquered, Army of the Potomac. Some of the regiments of 
the First Brigade drew up petitions to their commanding officers asking that 
they be permitted to take part in the coming campaign. The order to get rid 
of all surplus baggage and camp equipage, draw extra rations and a full supply 
of ammunition, was therefore received with joy, and the men cheerfully went 
about the work of preparing for an active campaign. Their numbers present 
for duty had been increased by the return of sick and wounded from general 
hospitals, but very few new men had joined the division. Although consider- 
able efTort was made I do not think the P.ucktails got a single recruit while they 
were in the Department of Washington. 

The Second Ihigade did not join in the movement, but remained in the De- 
partment of Washington, being stationed at Alexandria. 

Early Friday morning. June 20, the First Brigade broke camp at Fairfax 
Station and marched to Edwards' Ferry, where they crossed the Potomac river, 
marching thence by Frederick City to near Unioutown, Md.. arriving at the 
latter place on Tuesday, June 30. In the meantime Lee had crossed the Poto- 
mac at Williamsiiort with his entire army, except a large corps of General 
Ewell's and Stuart's division of cavalry. The latter troops had crossed earlier 
and had advanced into Pennsylvania. Several Imdies of their scouts had reached 
as far north as the Su.s<iuehanna river near llarrislmrg. 

During the march to Uniontown, we received the int(tlligence that CJeneral 
Meade had succeeded (ieneral iror>ker in command of the .\rmy of tlie Potomac. 
Knowing that Ceneral John F. Reynolds was Meade's senior in rank, this in- 



lX 








^BllCKTAii 




GETTYS3URG. 



PRINT: THE F. GUTEKUNST CO., 



Pcnnsylraitid at (ietfjifihn nj. 217 

lonnatioii caused some surprise amonj; tiie Iveserves. They lelt, however, that 
no mistake had been made in appointing (Jeneral Meade to that command. 

Both these officers had commanded our In-igade and division, and were well- 
known to the men. They knew their lighting qualities and were quite well 
sjitisfied that either one would command the army with distinguished ability. 
Being warm personal friends and wholly devoted to the cause, either would 
have the hearty support and earnest co-operation of the other. It was a source 
of great satisfaction to the officers and men of the Reserves to know that they 
would tight the next battle on their native soil and under the leadership of a 
Pennsylvanian who had commanded the division in the terrible battle of Fred- 
ericksburg. 

The Reserves were assigned to the Fifth Corps, commanded by Maior-Gen- 
eral George Sykes and wore the Maltese cross, being the Third Division. On 
Thursday morning, July 2. the Fifth, having been selected by General Meade 
as his reserve corps, took a position in the rear of the right wing of our army. 
From their position, owing to the peculiar formation of Meade's line, they 
could, in a very short time, reach any given point. General Sickles, with the 
Third Corps, was to occupy the left of the line, in the formation of which he 
was to connect with Hancock's left and form on a ])rolongation of his [Han- 
cock's] line, with his left resting on Iteund Top. 

This would bring the line of the Third Corps along the crest of Little Round 
Toj). For some rea.son, not necessary to discuss here, General Sickles advanced 
beyond the position assigned him and formed his line on a plain, his left cross- 
ing the Emmitsburg road, with both flanks exposed. The ground upon which 
he Ibrmed his line is certainly more than half a mile in advance of the position 
which General Meade intended he should occupy. 

About the time General Sickles had his line formed General Meade arrived 
at Little Round Top, and, seeing the mistake Sickles had made, sent for that 
officer and pointed out to him his error. General Sickles at once proposed to 
withdraw his corps and form on the line originally indicated. General Meade 
replied that the enemy would not permit his withdrawal, as it could then be 
seen he was preparing to attack. While they were talking Longstreet's guns 
opened, and .soon his long lines of infantry began to emerge from the woods. 
It now became evident this was to be a determined efibrt on the part of that 
able Confederate chieftain to destroy the Third Corps before they could receive 
support. When the first gun was fired General Sickles hastened to the front, 
and General Meade ordered the Fifth Corps to march with all possible haste to 
General Sickles' support. 

The gallant Third Corps fought desperately to hold their ground, but the 
long line of Longstreet's extending beyond both flanks, steadily drove them 
back. On the right of the Third the line of the enemy was pushed rapidly for- 
ward, with the evident purpose of turning that flank and getting between the 
Third Corps and the main line of our army. At the .same time Longstreet's 
right was thrown forward, making a vigorous attack on Round Top, while a 
verj' strong force from the Devil "s Den made a determined assault on Little 
Round Top, breaking the line of the Third Corps, which at that point was 
thrown into confusion. By this time the Second Division of the Fifth Corps, 
composed of regulars, arrived on the ground, and was formed on the left of 
Hancock's line. When the Third Corps broke. General Meade ordered the 
Second Division to charge in the direction of the wheat-field and peach orchard. 



278 Pritnsi/Iraiiia af Geffi/shunj. 

The iej;ulais wcnl lorward in splendid Ibrni ; wlien they reached the wheat- 
field they were met by a couuter-charj^e of tlie now victorious troops of Long- 
street. The regulars received the charge gloriously, but, after stubl)orn fight- 
in" and very heavy loss on both sides. l)eing largely outnumbered, they were 
forced back. They, liowever, kept their line and retired in good order, all the 
time keeping up a steady lire. In this manner they retreated, closely followed 
bv the Confederates, across the swamp and hall way up the side of Little Kouml 
Toj), or rather halfway up the slope of the hill on the right of Little Round 
Top. the left of the Second Division, when it fell back, barely reaching the 
base of Little Round Top. ( )n the right the enemy succeeded in capturing sev- 
eial guns, but were only able to hold them a few minutes; a murderous lire 
from Hancock's batteries and the charge of the regulars checked their advance 
and re-captured the guns. 

At this moment the situation on the left was alarming, everything indicated 
a rout ol that wing of the army. At this crisis General jNIeade. who was fortu- 
nately present at this point, ordered a charge from in front of Little Kound 
Top by the Fir.st Brigade of the Pennsylvaniji Keserves. The Third Brigatie. 
commanded by Colonel Fisher, had been sent to the extreme left to tlie suj)- 
port of General Vincent, at Round Toj). 

Little Round Top, as its name indicates, is a round liill rising about two 
hundred feet above the streams which run at its base. The top and side facing 
the enemy are covered with rough rocks, some of them very large, that side is 
also very steep, and near the top difficult of ascent. At the foot and in our front 
there is a small stream known as Plum Run, the course of which is parallel with 
our line. The ground on both sides of this stream is swampy, forming a flat 
some fifty or seventy-rive yards wide;. 

On the opposite .side of the stream, on our right, the ground rises more gently, 
uradually falling oft" into a plain. In our front and on the left it grows rougher 
and steeper until it reaches the Devil's Den, a clu.ster of very large rocks on our 
•left, the ground between them much broken and covered Avith scrubby timb< i . 
covering an area of perhaps three aires. At that tiiYie the woods extended 
down to the edge of the swamp in our front and continued over the hill till it 
reached the wheat-field on our right. Beyond the wheat-field there was an- 
other strip of woods, ami beyond tliat the peach orchard fronting on the Km- 
mitsburg road. The stone wall or fence was located across Plum Run close by 
the edge of the woods and to the right of the crest of Little Round Top. The 
stonewall covered about one-half of our regiment when in line. 

The Pennsylvania Reserves arrived on the ground at the supreme moment. 
It Longstreetliad obtained iwssession of Little Round Top, Meade's position 
would have been turned. From this point the guns of the enemy would have 
raked our center and left-center and from this position he could strike the right 
wing on the flank and rear. General Meade's presence at that part of the line 
would indicate the deep anxiety he felt in the result of thc" c(mfiict for the po.s- 
session of the Round Tops. He knew it was of the utmost importance that the 
advance of Longstreet's exultant troops should be checked before they reached 
the crest of the Little Rouml Top, the real key to his position, and which was. 
at the moment when we arrived upon the ground, almost within their grasp. 

Tlie brigade marched upon the field in rever.se order, throwing tlie P.ucktails 
upon the left of the line with the rear rank to the enemy. Colonel Taylor gave 
the command to counter-march and while the movement was being executed a 



Pennsylvania at Getty, shurg. 279 

rebel yell indicated the juesence of the eueruy, which caused c()nsideial)Ie con- 
fusion in the line, hut when the comiuund to charge was received, every one of 
those veteran soldiers (juickly found his place, and presented a solid and un- 
broken line to the enemy, who had by this time almost gained the summit, 
those fartliest in advance being only a few yards from one of our batteries, whose 
gunners were about to spike their ".".ins. Shouting to the gunners to liold their 
pieces the Bucktails. springing forward with a clieer, engaged the enemy in a 
desperate hand-to-hand conflict lasting but a short time when, for the first time 
that day, Longstreet's brave men were forced to retreat. With a broken line 
and in considerable confusion they fled down the hill and across the swamp, 
the Bucktails following close and capturing quite a number of prisoners. At 
the foot of the hill Lieutenant-Colonel .V. E. Niles fell on the front line severely 
wounded. The Bucktails kept up a steady fire from their breech-loading rifles 
as they charged, the lines being very close they inflicted terrible punishment 
on the retreating foe. At the stone wall the enemy made a feeble attempt to 
re-form, but were not able to check the impetuous charge of the Bucktails. It 
is needless to state that Colonel Taylor and Major Hartshorne were to be found 
in the front line all the time. Not taking any account of what Avas occurring 
on the right of our line, the Bucktails pushed on after the now thoroughly 
routed enemy who fled through the woods, on up the hill, on, on, until near 
the edge of the wheat-field when Colonel Taylor, discovering that he was a con- 
siderable distance in advance of our line and unsupported, ordered a halt. 

After we halted the enemy were either reinforced or concentrated their 
scattered lines, as they kept up a heavy fire in our front, but as we were still 
in the woods and our boys found p;ood cover behind trees they did us but little 
harm. Up to tins time we had captured a large number of prisoners. 

.Just after the line halted we received a heavy volley from our right-center. 
Colonel Taylor with two other oificers and fifteen or twenty men were on that 
part of the line at the time. Quickly facing to the left they discovered, but a 
short distance away, two hundred or three hundred rebels partly hidden by the 
timber. An officer promptly demanded their surrender when nearly every 
man in their line threw down his arms. .lust then a Confederate in the rear 
of tlieir line sang out with an oath, ""ril never surrender to a corporal's guard." 
The rebels again grasped their arms when Lieutenant Kratzer called out to the 
Bucktails, '"Tree, every man of you.'" and, jumping behind a tree near him, he 
turned to Colonel Taylor, who was near by, and urged him to hurry. Just as 
the colonel laid his hand on Lieutenant Kratzer's shoulder, and was in the act 
of stepping under shelter of the tree, a rebel sharpshooter sent a bullet through 
his heart — when our brave and beloved commander died without speaking a 
word. When the few men that were there saw Colonel Taj'lor fall they poured 
several volleys in quick succession into the enemy at the same time calling 
upon them to surrender. About forty or fifty threw down their arms and gave 
themselves up, the others retreated in the directi(m of the Devil's Den. 

The command of the regiment now devolved on Major Hartshorne, who was 
at the time on the left of the line. As soon as he was informed of the death 
of Colonel Taylor and knowing that there was a considerable force on our left 
and rear, he withdrew Ins line to the stone wall and sent Captain Kin.sey with 
his company out in the direction of the Devil's Den, with orders to form in 
line of skirmishers at right angles with the line of the regiment, attack the 
enemy and develop his strength and position. When Captain Kinsey reached 



280 Pennsylvania at Geftz/sburg. 

tlif edge orthe Devil's Deu, he was met with a heavy volley from the enemr 
who were ]X)stC(l behind rocks and trees, taking such cover as they could find, 
and a lively skirmish ensued. The rapid tiring attracted Major Hartshorne's 
attention, wlien he .sent Lieutenant Krat/.er to ascertain whether or not Caj)tain 
Kinsey could hold his i)o.sition. Captain Kin.sey urged Lieutenant Kratzer 
t<. support him Avith his company, insisting, that with some help he could carry 
the rocks and capture the force defending them. The lines were very close, 
only a few yards apart, and the expo.sure of any part of the body called forth 
a shot from the watchful foe. Lieutenant Kratzer agreed to go back, and if he 
could get Major Hartshorne's consent to bring up his company. Just as he 
turned to go back, .several shells fell in their midst and exploded. This was 
l)romptly followed by a volley from the enemy in their front. Captain Kin- 
sey was severely wounded by a shell. In the contusion following, Lieutenant 
Kratzer got away and reported the situation to Major Hartshorne. It being 
then dark and the enemy still in strong force in his front. Major Hartshorne 
deeming it unsafe to attempt without support to drive the enemy from his 
strong position, recalled Captain Kin.sey's company, leaving only a few pickets 
to watch the movements of the enemy. A brisk firing was kept up all along 
the line till about 9 o'clock, when it ceasetl, seemingly, by mutual consent. 

.<() ended the battle of the 2d of July, in front of Little Round Top. The 
lighting from l o'clock p. m.. had V)een of the most desperate character, and 
the ground all around was strewn with killed and wounded. Side by side in 
death lay the P>lue and the Gray, while here and there desperately wounded 
Yankees and Confederates lying on the field would talk over the dav's work 
and speculate on the result of the battle to be fought on the morrow. 

Very early on the morning of July 3, Major Hartshorne sent Captain Frank 
Hell, with Company I. and Captain John A. Woltf with Company F, to attack 
and develop the strength of the enemy on our left flank in the Devil's Den. 
These two companies, deployed in line of skirmi.shers, (cautiously advanced. 
AVhen thej' reached the edge of the Devil's Den. they encountered the enemy 
strongly posted behind rocks and trees. The fighting at once l)ecame very .se- 
vere : the enemy's fire indicated a large force, and their ])osition was so strong 
that any attempt to carry it by storm with so small a body of troops mu.st prove 
disa-strous. Taking cover, the Bucktails opened a rapid fire, hoping to puni.sh 
the enemy .so severely as to either compel him to retire or come out of his strong- 
hold to drive them ofl'. The reader will bear in mind that the Bucktails were 
armed with breech-loading rifles, some of the companies with Spencer repeating 
rifles : the great advantage of these arms, when firing from cover, is known l)y 
all soldiers. Any object that will cover the body is all the protection a man 
armed with a breech-loading rifle wants. He is not exposed in loading, and 
(•an load on the run almost as well as when standing still. This will account, 
in part, for the heavy lo.ss, on many occasions, inflicted on the enemy by the 
Bucktails when their loss was comparatively very small. On this occasion, the 
superiority of the arms, .soon gave them a very decided advantage. Whenever 
a rebel expo.sed any part of his body he was sure to be hit and the result, not- 
withstanding their .superiority in numbers. Avas only a question of time. The 
Bucktails were punishing them .severely with no los.s, since they had taken co\ w. 
'I"he enemy discovered that they were playing a losing game, made a dash (tn 
the handful of brave men whr) were o])i>osing them. Their numbers surprised 
the I'.ucktails. and to )ire\entthe capture of their little paity, they l)eat a Inisty 



Fennsi/Jvania af Gettysburg. 281 

retreat, glad to make their escape and get baek to tlie regiment. In this re- 
trejit Captain Kell received a wound whi(;h caused the loss of a leg, and several 
others were wounded. The enemy, strange to sa}% did not follow up their 
advantage, but, seemingly .satislied with driving otl" the party in their front, re- 
turned to their tirst jjositiou. Major Hartshorne, determined to make them 
develop their purpose, ordered Lieutenant Kratzer to take his company (K) and 
make another effort to rout them. The regiment being constantly engaged in 
the front, no considerable force could be spared. Deploying his company in 
line of skirmishers, Lieutenant Kratzer gave them the word when they started 
forward on a run. The lebels permitted them to get so close that their features 
could be easily distinguished and the bore of their guns plainly seen when they 
sprang from their cover and iired a volley that killed and wounded about one- 
third of the number. A Confederate oflBcer close by called to Kratzer to sur- 
render; the brave lieutenant answered him with a shot from his revolver ; the 
Confederate returned the shot, when Kratzer tired again and his foe fell. One 
of Kratzer's men called his attention to blood on his hand, the lieutenant re- 
plied that he was shot through the arm above the elbow. After firing this 
volley, the Confederate officers compelled their men to lie down ; the lines were 
so clo.se that tlieir commands were distinctly heard though spoken in an ordi- 
nary tone. 

It was now near 2 o'clock p. m. and preparations were being made for a gen- 
eral attack on this jiart of the line. Major Hartshorne therefore called in the 
party sent out with Lieutenant Kratzer. About 3 o'clock the brigade advanced 
in line, charging on the enemy they drove him through the woods to the wheat- 
field, on through the field and through the strip of woods beyond into the peach 
orchard, capturing several hundred prisoners and completely destroying the 
Confederate line in their front. Early that morning Major Hartshorne had in- 
formed Colonel ]\IcCandless. commanding the brigade, of the force on his left in 
the Devil's Den. Colonel McCandless having nothing to fear from the line in 
his front, determined to pay his respects to that party ; he therefore directed 
Major Hartshorne to change front to the left and charge Avith the Bucktails in 
'that direction, while he would form the rest of the brigade in column by regi- 
ment closed in mass and follow him at supporting distance. 

The Bucktails in line of skirmishers moved forward through the woods at 
double-quick for .several hundred yards, when they came upon a line of the 
enemy in position. With a cheer they rushed on them, when they had another 
hand-to-hand light with what proved to be the Fifteenth Georgia Regiment. 
The Georgians stood up bravely for fifteen or twenty minutes when they threw 
down their arms, the Bucktails capturing the entire command with their colors. 
Turning the prisoners over to the troops in the rear the Bucktails pushed on 
through the woods into open country, when Colonel McCandless deployed the 
brigade into line and moved forward capturing quite a number of prisoners. 
He continued till there was no enemy to be seen in our front and night put an 
end to our fighting, when the brigade rested for the night fully one mile in 
front of Little Round Top. 

By this movement Colonel McCandless completely flanked the Devil's Den 
and forced the enemy to retreat from a position that it would have been next 
to impossible to have driven him by a direct attack. So ended the battle of 
Gettysburg. The last shot, the Bucktails claim, was fired by them on nearly 



282 Pennsylvania a( (retfi/.sburg. 

the .siiiue j:n>iind where tlic liatth- (if. Inly I was ()|>ciie(l liy Loiigstreot's attack 
Oil Sickles. 

In tlie two days" lighting the JUicktails" total loss w;i,s loity-seven. Killed, 
two officers and eight enlisted men: wonuded, eight officers and thirty enlisted 
men. The loss in officers was nnusually severe, nine officers out of a total loss 
of forty-seven. 

It will Ije observed that from the time the Pennsylvania Reserves entered the 
fight until the end the Confederates on this part of the line fought entirely on 
the defensive, up to that time they were the attacking party and were flushed 
with victory. They Jiad driven the Third Corps, with terrible .slaughter, through 
the peach orchard, met the Regulars in the wheat-field, and, after hard fighting 
and heavy loss on Ijoth sides, drove them back across Plum run and were on 
the eve of capturing Little Kound Top, the real key to Meade's position, when 
they met the Pennsylvania Reserves and in le.ss than twenty minutes the tide 
was turned and we became the attacking party. 

The '■ Bucktails"' or "'First Rifle" Regiment, Pennsylvania Reserve Volun- 
teer Corps was organized early in May, 1861, under a State law passed by the 
Legislature and approved by the Governor May 15. They were not called into 
the United States service until the latter part of Jttne, when they, with the 
Fifth Pennsylvania Reserves and Captain Campbell's Battery A, Pennsylvania 
Reserve Volunteer Corps, were ordered to West Virginia. The regiment never 
was regularly mu.stered into the United States .service. Some (|uestion arising 
in regard to pay. and the authorities refusing to date a muster back to the time 
when the regiment entered the service, and Colonel Biddle refusing to permit a 
muster several months after entry into service, the matter was compromised. 
We %fere instructed to enter upon our rolls as mustered into service "by order 
of the Secretary of War," May 29, 1861." All the companies composing this 
regiment were enlisted prior to May 15, in fact these men enlisted under the 
first call for three-months' nu^n. but found the quota of the State filled before 
they reached Ilarrisburg. 

The first battle in which the regiment was engaged was Dranesville, Decem- 
ber 20, 1861; the last battle was at Bethesda Church, May 30, 1864. A lai^e 
number of the men re-enlisted and served until the close of the war in the One 
hu!idred and ninetieth Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. 

The peculiar field tactics employed by this regiment originated witii Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel (later Brigadier-General) Thomas L. Kane. They were much 
the same as those recently adopted by the War Department for the United States 
Army. When exposed to a heavy fire the Bucktails were instructed to scatter, 
and at all times were required to take advantage of whatever cover the ground 
aflorded. If any part of the line was better protected than another, the men in 
that lo(;ation would push ibrward and vigorously engage the enemy, under cover 
of their fire the moie exposed part of the line would rush forward. Great re- 
siMiusibility was thrown upon the individual soldier. They were taught to 
take care of tliemselv&s and to take advantage of every opportunity for an ad- 
vance of the line. In many instances the men have, of their own accord, with- 
out orders, rushed forward when under heavy fire and gained important ad- 
vantage. They were taught to estimate distances on various formations, the 
estimates being proven by actual measurements, and, except when in general 
lin«^ of battle, to fire only when tliey had an object fairly in the sights of their 




TMOW). Ot W. H. TII'TON, GtTTySBURG. 



PRINT: THE F. GUTEKUNST CO. TMII A. 



Pennsiflvanid at Gettysburg. 283 

ritic. In addition they weir skilled jnarksnu-n and werr constantly practicing; 
at long range, from two linndred to one tliousaud yards. 

To their peculiar tactics, constant practice, individual resiwnsibility and good 
marksmanship, can be credited the tearful punishment inflicted ui>()n theenemy 
in every action iu which they were engaged, without a proportionate loss to 
them. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

46^" REGIMENT INFANTRY 

Septembkk 12, 1889 

ORATION OF CAPTAIN JOSEPH MATCH ETT 

FRIENDS and comrades of the old Forty-sixth : — Twenty-six years ago this 
last Jnly we stood upon this ground to defend our country from the as- 
saults of those who in their madness would trample this glorious banner 
in the dust. What grand momentous days and nights these were on this 
1st. 2d and 3d of July, 1863, when the destiny of our nation hung in the bal- 
ance, and the people all over our Northland had their eyes llxed on this army, 
trembling for fear that your courage or prowess would fail you, as your enemy, 
flushe<l with victoiies iu Virginia, had boldly invaded our free northern homes, 
determined to crush this army, capture our rich cities, and plant their standard 
on the dome of the capitol, and there dictate terms of peace to our government. 

My dear comrades, it may be superfluous in me to recount to you the move- 
ments that culminated in placing us here in front of Gettysburg, on the 1st 
day of July, 1863. 

The disastrous battles of Chancellorsville on the 1st. 2d and .Jd of May is yet 
very fresh at this day in your memories, at least it is in mine, as well as all the 
more than a score of important battles in which we were engaged. Tliey .seem 
to be indelibly photographed on the tablets of my memory, so that, either wak- 
ing or sleeping, they often pass in panoramic view to my vision. 

It was after the success of General Lee in that engagement that he determined, 
to move his armj^ across the Potomac, and invade the soil of the Keystone State, 
and to carry devastation to your homes and firesides. Little did he think that 
by this act he would be •" bearding the lion in his den. " because, my comrades, 
you well know that heretofore, by your valor on many bloody fields, you had 
proven your willingness to do and die for our dear Union. Now, when your 
soil was desecrated with the tread of this traitorous band, your paternal patri- 
otic blood Avas .so inflamed that yon could give a double life to free your State 
from the despoiler. So, as his army moved northward, you were moved along- 
on parallel lines between him and the capitol at Washington ; and late in June 
you crossed the Potomac at Leesburg and marched through Maryland, "My 
Maryland " with banners flying, and with cheerful step to music of our band, 
through historic old Frederick City. There " Fighting " Joe Hooker left us, 
but we cheerfully followed the faithful Meade, asking no questions ; our cause 
was just the same whoever was put in command of us : we had no time for 
cavilling or fault-finding. 

You remember the dusty hot march ilnough I.ittlestowu. with the ripe, 



284 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

tempting rlierries ovcrlicad. tliat yon had no time to gather ; some of the boys 
s;iid they were sour. You had only time to grasp a cup of cold water, or a \nvce 
of bread or pie that the villagers (God bless themt handed ont the gateway to 
you as you hastened on into old Pennsylvania, with words of cheer from our 
friends, and the songs of the children, as we marched to their tune of "■ March- 
ing along, we are marching along, tor God and our country we are marching 
along." You wentinto camp beyond the town. Next day was the 30th of .Tune, 
and you were hastily drawn up in line to be mustered so as to have the pay- 
rolls sent on. You were then ordered to support the cavalry in their brush with 
the rebel cavalry at Hanover. Bright and early next morning, after a hasty 
breakfast of coffee, crackers and pork, we took up our march in the direction 
of Gettysburg, infantry in the fields, artillery and wagons on the road. Reck- 
lessly tramping down the ripening golden grain in your pathway, the Twelfth 
Corps moved along, led hy the gallant Slocum, marching towards the sound of 
the cannon as it echoed over the hill from Gettysburg, where the ball had 
ojiened and our men had met the enemy. 

My comrades, you felt then that you were approaching the momentous mo- 
ment of your life, and the life of the nation, and your courage and determina- 
tion rose with the occasion. You were going to redeem Chancellorsville : you 
got your fighting blood again flowing through your veins, and there was not a 
man of you who was not willing to die if need be for our grand old State and 
the nation. And where, in all the wide world, and in all its history, was a 
more appiopriate time or a grander incentive for man to give up his mortal life, 
a willing .sacrifice for God, and home, and this glorious land. Not but what 
your life was sweet to you, and those left in the dear old home were precious 
to you, and you to them. Oh, no! Your country at this time, and her honor, 
and your honor, was transcendentlj' more dear, more precious (if such could 
be) for the time being, than father or mother, wife or children, for you stood 
now between them and their despoilers, their safety wrapped up in your suc- 
cess, as a world stood watching for the result of that battle. 

True, we were only boys then, but oh! what patriotic blood flowed in your 
veins, in commingling of the freedom-loving races. The Celtic, German, Norman, 
Scotch-Iri.sh, Cymric, the Anglo-Saxon, all combining as one around the 
grandest of flags, the star-spangled banner. Blest emblem of liberty. Ho]w of 
the world. 

As you drew nearer, the sound of the cannon was plainer to you ; jou could 
hear the bursting .shells, then the steady roll of musketry, and you knew that 
death was reaping his harvest; the old Forty -sixth had been there many a time, 
and knew what it all meant. And the smoke of battle went upon higli ; you were 
now in the battle zone, your whole surrounding atmosphere was changed. 
There was less of song, and jokes in general fell fiat; and playing cards — the 
boys had no use for them now, so they .sowed them in the fields, scattered them 
along the liighway; watches and other valuables were given to non-combatants, 
to be sent home to dear ones, should yon be among the slain. The ctivalry and 
the First and Eleventh corps,it seems,had met the enemy in large numbers beyond 
the town, and had nobly kept them in check as long as possible until at last 
they doubled up our men, who were com])elled to fall back through the town 
to Cemetery Hill, after losing their noble commander, the brave Reynolds, who 
was shot while le:wling them on. Our coijis moved on past "Two Taverns," 
and then our division fili-d to the right towards Wolf Hill ; we uu-slung knap- 



Pennsylvania at Getti/shurg. 285 

isacks, loading onr guns, and deployed in line of Ijattle in the woods, with the 
intention of making a connection with the right of the Eleventh Corps, but they 
had been forced to fall back, which changed the situation ; but our presence 
there prevented an intended Hank nioveuient which the enemy attempted to 
make. Night coming on, caused a lull in the battle, and ended the slaughter 
for that day. The regiment was moved over again to the Baltimore pike and 
rested on their arms that night. 

Hostilities commenced very early in the morning, and you were moved in 
here and took up this position, and hastily put up a line of works, with logs, 
stones and dirt, using what tools you could get, right on the line of the works 
you now see before you. 

Late that afternoon when Sickles' Third Corps was hotly pre.s.sed over on the 
left-center, the brigade was hastily sent over acro.ss the fields to his relief, to- 
wards Little Round Top, coming only in contact with the havoc of the enemy's 
shells in that sharp tight. The enemy were checked, and Sickles' men secured 
their new ground. Sometime in the night we were ordered to return to our 
works on the right at Gulp's Hill. But, alas! in our absence the enemy under 
Johnson, had taken our works, as there had been no troops put in our place to 
oppose them, and in fact he had marched his men as far over as the Baltimore 
pike. Tiien he became suspicious that there was a trap set for him, and ordered 
his men back again to our works, thereby losing his grandest opportunity of 
the war. He was right in behind our ami}'. Comrades, there was to my mind 
a Providence in this. They were made afraid when there was nothing to fear. 
On coming back we found them in our works sure enough. In fact if it had 
not been for the forethought of our Colonel Selfridge, we would have marched 
by the dank right into their lines. 

It seems Captain Selfridge of Company H, had taken .some of his men's can. 
teens and gone on ahead to Spangler's spring to fill them, when he discovered 
'Johnnies" also there tilling their canteens. He backed out with the best 
grace he could command, and reported it to the colonel. But Colonel McDougall, 
the brigade commander, did not believe it and got very angry, but the colonel 
insisted on deploying his men, and sent in a skirmish line, who found the enemy 
as stated and saved many lives. 

We were then formed around this point, our left on Geary's Division, and 
our brigade connecting on the right with the Third Brigade, when we rested 
on our arms again until the morning. Bright and early our artillery which had 
been posted in our rear, opened on the rel)els in the woods, the shells passing 
over us ; we were so near the enemy that six men of the regiment were killed 
by the explosion of our own shells. 

About 11 o'clock we opened on them with musketry, and a general advance 
was made, and they were driven from our works, which we again occupied, 
and kept the enemy at bay, while their sharpshooters on those tree tops gave 
us great concern, until in the afternoon when that grand event that stands out 
now at this day as the turning point of the rebellion took place. I refer to 
Pickett's charge on the center of the line. 

At a given signal one hundred and sixty of the enemy's cannon opened fire 
on the Union line, and were answered by one hundred cannon from our side, 
making the very earth shake. And then came their charging column over that 
wide field, only to be swept away before the leaden hail of the boys in blue, 
which you could plainly hear. Also their shells came tearing down our lines 



28f) Pninxylvanid at (Teftt/sburg. 

through the tic*^ to]>s. Julinson made repeated attacks on us that uijjht, and 
miuiy of his men were cut down in our front. 

(Jettysbiirg battle had been fought and won. I'he morning liglit of July 4, 
showed no rebels in your front, except numy of their dead a few steps in front 
of your works, and many in the woods beyond: mauj^ trees were cut to pieces 
with your bullets along your line. 

A reconnoisauce of the brigade and a battery of artillery down the Balti- 
more pike, and over to Hanover pike and back around through the town, proved 
tliat the enemy had left us masters of the Held. 

Your losses in killed, wounded and missing are not reported as large as .scmie 
regiments who fought in this battle. You had somewhere about two hundred 
men in the battle. The otRcial report says two hundred and sixty -two, and 
killed, two men: wounded, one otHcer and nine men: missing, one man. 

I am convinced tliat our los.ses were greater than this. However, losses do 
not always denote success; our sheltered position in this battle gave us an ad- 
vantage, while inflicting greater injury on the enemy than some perchance who 
had heavier losses. It was seldom that the Forty -sixth had the advantage of 
works, as the number of killed and wounded during your four-years' service 
will show, under the daring impetuous Knipe or the gallant gray-headed 
Sel fridge. 

Our capital city was saved, and our State redeemed, and the honor of our dag 
sustained. But oh! at what a cost. How proud should you be that you had 
a part in this achievement. 

Our hope had been that the enemy would be crushed and the war ended here 
but in this we were .sadly disappointed. Alter resting a couple of days we fol- 
lowed him to the Potomac, and down into Virginia to the Eappahanock river, 
and at Brandy Station an order came to transfer the Eleventh and Twelfth corps 
to the Southwestern army, under General Sherman's command, in Tennessee, 
where you went by rail to N;ishville. The old Star Corps and the Crescent Corps 
were there united, forming the Twentieth Corps, and retaining the Star as the 
badge to our delight, and were placed under command of the redoubtable 
'"lighter," Joe Hooker again, and in the Army of the Cumberland under 
I'ap Thomas and with old I'ap Williams commanding our division. And the 
corps marched on to further glory in the southland. Fighting above the clouds 
at Lookout Mountain, and at Tunnel Hill, Missionary Kidge, Buzzard's Roost, 
Snake Creek Gap, Cassville. Resaca, Lost Mountain, Kolb's Farm, Kenesaw 
Mountain, Big Shanty, Marietta, Chattahoochie, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta 
'and then on to the .sea through Georgia and captured the fair city of Savannah 
at Christmas, 1 804. Where, after a brief rest and necessary supplies, 3^ou crossed 
the river into South Carolina, the hot-bed of treason, driving the enemy under 
Hardee in all directions, and got in the rear of Charleston, and took Columbia. 
Fought again at Averysboro, Fayetteville, Cheraw, Bentonville, Chesterfield 
C. H., arriving in Goldsboro, N. C, the latter end of March, 18(J5. 

After getting clothing which you greatly needed, we moved on towards John- 
son's army at Jialeigh, when we got the glad news of the surrender of Lee's 
army to (irant; what a .joyful day that was. Then .soon thereafter, on April 'JT, 
.fohn.son surrendered to Sherman, and, thank God, the war was over, and the 
Union was saved. Then commenced your honiiward march to Richmond, and 
Washington and the grand review, and your discharge at Harrisburg. Pa., 
.Fulv K;. l^(i">. witli the thanks of Congress. 



I'rniisi/Jrania at (r('ftj/.shnr<j. 287 

And now. my i(Hiir;ule.s, in closing; 1 would add, iliat ] con};rutnlat«' you on 
having luid (his starry emblem lor your corps badgi', ; we believe it the grandest 
of them all. \Vhat memories cluster around this emblem. We read in the Bible 
of "'the star guiding the, wise men totlie manger in Bethlehem,"' '"and that the 
morning stars sang together;" also, •' c^an you bind the sweet bands of Orion, "etc. 

Our emblem is re])resented e\ery\vhere in nature. On the earth you find it 
as it is delineated on tlie beautiful flower; you find it ])ortrayed in the beauti- 
ful snow, as it falls in liny starry flakes, carpeting the earth in winter; you 
find it in the star-fish of the mighty deep, or as it flashes in phosphoric stars at 
the ves.sel's bow as it plows the ocean, and all earth, and the heavens, as well 
as this granite monument, will continue to perpetuate the memory of the Old 
Star Corpx. 

And. comrades, my j)rayer is "that when your star sliall set at lit'e's close, it 
may set, as sets the morning star which goetli not down in the darkened west, 
bnt melt«th away into the brightness of Heaven :"' may (iod bless you. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

49^^ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

.September ii, i88q 

ADDRKSS 1!V [OSKPH B. D(3WN1NG 

THE Forty-ninth Kegiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers was organized a^ 
Camp Curtin near Harrisburg, Pa., under the call of President Lincoln 
for three hundred thousand men for three years or during the war, in 
the mouth of .September, IHHl. by the selection of the following field 
and stafl officers : 

C!olonel, "William H. Irwin, of Lewistown, Pa.; Lieutenant-Colonel, William 
Brisbane, of Luzerne county, Pa. ; Major, Thomas M. Ifuliugs, of Mifflin county, 
Pa.; Adjutant, James M. Miller, of Dauphin county, Pa.; Quartermaster, John 
H. Gray, of Chester county. Pa.; Surgeon. William H. Gobrecht, of Pliiladel- 
phia, Pa.; Assistant Surgeon, John F. Huber, of Lancaster county. Pa.; Chap- 
lain, Rev. William Earushaw, of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

The companies were enlisted in different part.s of the State; A and G from 
Centre county, B and F from Chester, C and D from Huntingdon, E, H and K 
from Mifflin and I from Juniata. The; companies were officered as follows: 

A — Captain, J. Miles Green; First Lieutenant. Andrew S. David.son; Second 
Lieutenant. R. D. Harper. B — Captain, George F. Smith ; First Lieutenant, 
Baynton J. Hickman ; Second Lieutenant, Lsaac B. Parker, Jr. C — Captain, 
,Iohn B. Miles; First Lieutenant, James B. Eckeberger : Second Lieutenant, 

. D — Captain, James D. Campbell: First Lieutenant, John H. 

Westbrook; Second Lieutenant, F. Y. IMcDonald. E — Captain, Henry A. Zol- 
linger ; First Lieutenant, Amor W. Wakefield; Second Lieutenant, John Han- 
cock. F — Captain, Benjamin H. Sweeney; First Lieutenant, F. W. Wom- 
backer; Second Lieutenant, Don Juan Wallings. G — Captain, John Boal; First 
Lieutenant. A. B. Hutchison; Second Lieutenant, William Reed. H — Captain 
Ralph L. Maclay ; First Lieutenant, William G. Mitchell: Second Lieutenant, 



288 J\'nn.sylvaviti, at Getfyshunj. 

Jolm Cox. I Captain, Calvin DeWitt; F'iist Lieutemiut, K. M. ilcClelkin; 
Serond Lieutt-nant, David B. Spanogle. K Captain, Matthias Neice; P'irst 
Lieutenant, .lohn K. Keiin; Second Lieutenant, Thomas F. Neice. 

Of the above named officers the lblh)\ving obtained distinction in other com- 
mands as follows: 

Chai)lain Earnshaw resigned October i), 1H(J:2, and was shortly afterwards ap- 
pointed chaplain in the United States army where he served during the war. 
At the close of the war lie was appointed on a commission to collect the remains 
of our gallant dead and have them removed to the National cemeteries, and by 
his personal appeal to Hon. Henry Wilson, Chairman of the Militarj' Committee 
of the Senate, an appropriation was passed providing for a marble head and foot 
stone for every Union soldier so buried. After the completion of this service 
he was sent as chaplain to the Soldier-s' Home in Dayton, Ohio, where he re- 
mained until his death in 1885. 

Captain George F. Smith was, in ^Lirch, 181)2, appointed to the majority of 
the Sixty-hrst Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers with which command he re- 
mained until nearly the close of the war, being promoted in the meantime re- 
spectively to lieutenant-colonel and colonel of the regiment. 

Lieutenant William (i. Mitchell was appointed aide-de-camp on the staff of 
General Hancock, with whom he served until his death in 1883. During the 
war Mitchell rose to the rank of brigadier-general of volunteers and at the 
clo.se of the war was appointed captain of the United States army on the staff, 
and one of the last official acts of the lamented President Gartield was to pro- 
mote him to major and assistant adjutant-general. 

Lieutenant John Hancock, brother of the general, was ap^winted captain and 
assistant adjutant -general at General Hancock's headquarters with whom he 
remained until the end of the rebellion. 

Lieutenant Isaac B. Parker, Jr., was also appointed an aide-de-camp to Gen- 
eral Hancock and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and was mustered out 
at the close of the war. 

On September 19, 1861, the quartermaster's department issued the arms to 
the different companies. They consisted of Harper's Ferry muskets that had 
been changed from flint lock to percuission of .(58 caliber. The ammunition was 
a cartridge made with jjowder, a round bullet and three buckshot. The mus- 
kets were very imserviceable, being about as dangerous to the .soldier who used 
them as they would have been to an enemy in liis front. 

During the following winter, l)efore the regiment had l)een engaged with the 
enemy, they were exchanged for Austrian rifles of .r>4 caliber, using a niinie 
ball cartridge. 

On September '20. 1801, after the; dress-parade, Governor .V. G. Curtin and his 
staQ" appeared and presented to the regiment the National and State flags, which 
were received in an able, eloquent an<l patriotic speech ])y Colonel Irwin. In 
the course of his remarks the colonel said " that while he had an arm to wield 
a sword or a man to fire a gun, the colors should never droj) in the face of an 
enemy nor be; desecrated by tlie touch of rebel hands,"' and that promise was 
faithfully kept although the dear old colors were torn to shreds by the shot and 
shell of the enemy. 

On the next day, Septemlxr 2L reveille sounded at 1 a. in. witli orders to 
break camp and prepare to move to the seat of war, and later in the day the 
regiment was loaded on cars of the Northern Central Railroad Coini)atiy. The 



Pennsylvania at Gettyshnrg. '289 

truiii was run in two sections. When within twelvtM)r fifteen miles of Baltiiuoro 
the second section ran into tlie lirst, in which accident two men of Conij)any ('< 
{Parker and Fulton) were killed and three others injured. Arrived in Balti- 
more about midnight, disembarked and marched from the Northern Central to 
the Baltimore and Ohio station. Earlj' the next morning the command was 
fed by the Union Relief Association and about 9 a. m. took cars and arrived in 
"Washington about 2 p. m., went to the Soldiers' Retreat for rations and then 
into camp on the common about one mile north of the capitol. Here we re- 
mained live days, drilling, doing camp duty, etc. On September 27, we struck 
tents and moved out throuj^h Washington and Georgetown up the Potomac 
about eight miles to Cliain Bridge which we crossed into Virginia and went 
into camp about 9 p. m. at Camp Advance. It had rained hard all day and 
when camp was reached, tired, wet and hungry and no trains arriving, without 
t«nt,s and rations, the men felt that they had fallen on hard lines. 

On September 28, Hancock's famous brigade was formed consisting of the 
Fifth Wisconsin Volunteers, Sixth Maine, Forty-third New York and Forty- 
ninth Pennsylvania. This brigade, with Brooks' Second, Third, Fourth and 
Fifth Vermont regiments. Seventh Maine, Tliirty-third and Forty-ninth New 
York and the Forty -seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers made up the division and 
was commanded by Brigadier-General William F. (Baldy) Smith. On this day 
there appeared great warlike movements. Many regiments moving, strong 
fortitications in view and a battle looked for. Two companies of the Forty- 
ninth ordered out on a reconnoitering expedition, marched Aery rapidly at 
first, then cautiously for some miles. No enemy being found they returned to 
camp about midnight. 

The next day, September 29, about 5 a. m., an alarm was sounded and the 
Forty-ninth immediately fell into line expecting an attack until jl a. m. After 
dress-parade in the evening Colonel Irwin drilled the regiment in battalion 
drill until after dark. 

vSepteml)er 30, moved a few miles to the front and went into anew camp, 
"Vanderwerken." The next day again moved forward to the villages of Lang- 
ley and Lewinsville and went into camp at Camp Griffin and remained here 
until March 10, 1862. The first place at which we pitched our tents in this 
place being on low ground, moved about one-fourth of a mile onto higher 
ground where we went into winter quarters. 

On October 24, the regiment was first mustered into the United States ser- 
vice. Through .some technical informality the first muster in at Harrisburg 
had been decided illegal and owing to this a great wrong worked to those of 
the regiment who did notre-eulist, compelling them to .serve from two to three 
months more than the three years. Notwithstanding the informality alleged. 
the men were paid from the date of enlistment and not from the date of muster 
into the United States .service. 

During the stay at Camp Griffin drills were regular in the .school of the 
soldier, squad, company, battalion and .skirmish and the evolutions of the 
brigade, and during this work of discipline and becoming acclimated, man^- of 
the members died and when in the following spring we moved away, we left a 
right large sized burial ground. 

On November 20, the regiment i)articipated in the grand review at Mun- 
son's Hill, in which the divisions of McCall, McDowell, Heintzelman, Porter, 
Franklin, Blenker and Smith, about ninety regiments of infantry, twentv 
19 



290 Pennsylvania at (rc.ftyshurtj. 

batteries 1 100 pie<!es) of artilh-rv and nine Kiiinients ot Cavalry, in all al><)ut 
70, 0(K) troops, took part. 

lMiin«'(liatol.v alter the Fortv-iiiiith liati ])asse(l the reviewing .stand, Colouel 
Irwin coninieiueil drilling the regiment and blocked up the troops that were 
passing in review, (ieneral Hancock rode np rapidly when he had found the 
cause of the trouble placed Colonel Irwin in arre.st. and the regiment worn out 
with the fatigues of the day, straggled back to camp where they all arrived 
during the night. For this breach of discijiline Colonel Irwin was tried by 
court martial. 

About this time .several changes took place among the line officers. Lieutenant 
Hari)er, of Company A, resigned. Ijieutenanl Keed, ot Company G, resigned and 
Sergeant ,1 . T. Stuart was promoted ; Lieutenant Spanogle, of Comiiany I, resigned 
and Sergeant John Stewart promoted: Lieutenant John E. Keim resigned and 
SergeantWilliam B. Freeburn promoted: Adjutant J. ]SI. .Miller resigned, iind 
Sergeant Major E. I). Smith i)romote(l. 

On March 6, regiment went on a reconnoisauce to Hunter's Mill, and re- 
turned to camp on the 9th. The ue.xt day the whole army moved to Fairfax 
Court House, and finding the enemy had evacuated his position at Bull Run 
and Centerville we retracted our steps to Alexandria and embarked for Fort- 
ress Monroe, and the i)eniusular campaign was inaugurated. At the time of the 
embarkation of our brigade it seemed necessary to put two regiments on one boat 
and the Forty-third New York and Forty-ninth Peun.sylvania Volunteers were 
placed on board the .steamer North .-Vmerica. Shortly alter an altercation took 
place between the men of the two regiments which rendered it necessary to re- 
move the Forty-third New York to another vessel and they departed from the 
steamer to the tune of "Bully for You" from the Forty-ninth band. After 
which episode the North America proceeded on her way and landed us safely 
at Fortress Mouioe. 

Upon our arrival upon the Peninsula the army was organized into corps and 
Smith's Divi.sion with Couchs and Casey's formrd the Fourth Armj' Corps 
and was commanded by (Jeneral E. D. Keyes. 

Went into camp near Hampton, Virginia, moved Ibrward by .slow and ea.sy 
marches up the Peninsula. Early in April, our advance reached Warwick 
river near Lee's Mills. A spirited advance and attack was made by the Ver- 
mont Brigade but was repulsed. On that night the Forth-ninth was moved 
up to the front and threw up rifle pit.s. When we arrived on the ground by 
some error th(^ regiment stacked arms with the right flank in the direction of 
the enemy. .\ little after daylight the next morning a heavy cannonade was 
opened on us and the rebs (juickly got the range of our stacked muskets. 
Orders wen; not waited for but personal preservation was the order of the day. 
Every man broke lor a gun and then to the rear, to the timber, where the 
lines were ri'formed and the scare was over. Remained in this vicinity until 
.May J. 

On .\i)ril 2H, lh<; regiment lost its lirsi man killed by the enemy; Corporal 
"Watsm, of Company A, was killed on the ]>icket line. While remaining in 
this position many of the men were sick. Water was exceedingly bad and 
plenty of it only twelve or eighteen inches under the surfiu;e of the ground. 

The siege of Yorktown clo.sed on May 4th, by the evacuation of the enemy 
and we immediately started in pursuit, arriving in the vicinity of Williams- 
burg at dark. The battle opened early on the r)th. by tin- advance of Ileiiil- 
zelman's Third Corps, Divisions of Hooker and Kearn\ . 



PennsiflvavKi at (Tetfyshun/. 291 

Hanciick's Jiriijatlc Dioved t(i tlic iii;lil anil canic It) a lar;io mill daiii. The 
brigade cmssed on the dam breast. 'This dam tntiast was covered l)y an curtli- 
Avork ])ut it was nnoccnpied and llu^ i rossin<f was made without interfenMice. 
A line of battle was formed with the left restinj^ on the stream, Sixth Maine 
on the right. Fifth Wisconsin in tlie renter. Forty-ninth on the left and the 
Forty-third New York thrown out as skirmishers. Moved forward from one- 
half mile to a mile without much oiij)osition, and tiien lield our ground until 
the middle of the afternoon when Fwell's ]>rigade advanced on us e.xpeitting to 
<apture the brigade. Their impetuous advance threw th<^ Forty-third New 
York in on the right, and as the enemy neaied us Hancock ordered a retreat 
by alternate battalions, leading tin; advancing colunui away from their sup- 
ports until we had good ground both to hold and advance, from; when Hancock 
directed a charge uixrn the advancing enemy. This was Hancock's famous 
charge at Williamsburg. The enemy was beaten with great loss, in killed, 
wounded and captured, and the way was opened for the flanking and destruc- 
tion of Magruder's army. But Ave were satisfied with the repulse and allowed 
Magruder to depart in i)eai-e. The loss ol' the Forty -ninth in this engaiiement 
was one killed. David (iill)ert, and six slightly wounded. 

On May 8, three days after the battle, we advanced leisurely up the Pen- 
insula, noting, liy destroyed stores, the liurry the enemy had been in on their 
retreat, passing Burnt Ordinary and New Kent Court House and arrived at 
Cumberland J^anding and West Point on the Pamunkey. 

At this point the Sixth Corps was created, compo.sed of the Divisions of 
Smith and Franklin (^now Slocum"s) and commanded by General W. B. Frank- 
lin, and from this time to the end of th(> war the Forty-ninth Pennsylvania 
Volunteers formed a part of this fanu)us command. 

The next march l)rought us to Cold Harl)or. and the next to the banks of the 
Cliickahominy. and the siege of Kichmond was inaugurated. The regiment re- 
nuiined on the north bank of the Cliickahominy until about .Tune 15, when Ave 
crossed to the .south side and took u]) line of battle near Garnett's Hill. The 
malarial swamps in this vicinity Avas very destructive to the regiment. Very 
many sickened and numbers died. 

On the afternoon of June "27, the lighting commenced in our front. The 
regiment supported artillery and Avas under heavy artillery firing during the 
afternoon, and about sunset the enemy advanced but was handsomely repulsed. 
The Forty-ninth lost five killed and al)Out iilteen Avounded. one mortally. The 
next day. '28th, regiment engaged at Golding's farm and the brigade captured 
Colonel L. Q. C. Lamar of Mississipi)i. In this day's engagement regiment lost 
tAAo killed and several Avounded. 

Kegiment was engaged at Savage Station .Tune 29, AVhitc Oak Swamp .June 
;!() and Malvern Hill Jul\- 1 and arrived at Harri.son 's Landing on .July 2 throusih 
a drenching rain and mud knee deep. The retreat ended and the base changed. 

The regiment and the armj' remained at Harri.son's until August 15, then 
moved down the peninsula to Fortress Monroe and embarked on the steamer 
Montreal and arrived at Alexandria on Sunday afternoon, August 24, where Ave 
remained until the 29th. On the morning of this day we marched off in great 
ha.ste to the relief of Pope and arrived at Aimandale in the evening, havin"- 
made the prodigious march of four miles in one da\\ The next day marched 
to Centerville but arrived too late to do anything for Pope as the second battle 
of Bull Pun had been fought and lost before our arrival. We occupied the 



29*2 Peu)isf/lva7iia at Gettysburg. 

forts around Centerville and prevented tlie further advance ofthe enemy in 
that direction. But while in tlii.s ]K>sition, were in great danger of being cut 
olVby the advance ofthe enemy to Chantillv. The regiment returned with 
the army to Washington, crossed the Potomac at I.ong Ihidge, through Wash- 
ington and Georgetown to Tennallytown. Then on the Maryland campaign to 
Cnimptou's Gap into Pleasant Valley and remained thereuntil Harper's P^'erry 
capitulated and the battle of Antietam well on, when the regiment with the 
cxirps moved in rear from left to right of the whole army through Boonsljoro, etc. , 
and went into the engagement on the extreme right, relieving Sumner's Corps. 
Upon our arrival at the front, General Richardson having been mortally 
wounded, General Hancock, our beloved brigade commander, was appointed to 
the command of Richardson's Division ofthe iSecond Corps. Our loss in the 
battle was slight ; one killed and a few wounded. The one killed was Charlie 
King of Company F, drummer, a bright boy of about thirteen years of age. 

After the battle moved to the I'otomac near tShepherdstown, thence to Bakers- 
ville where we encamped about two Aveeks, then marched to the Pennsylvania 
line in an attempt to intercept the enemy's cavalry raid. On this movement 
the regiment did picket duty in our native State facing north. The enemy 
succeeded in making his escape and recrossed into Virginia. Regiment re- 
turned to Hagerstown and went into camp and remained there until the army 
again moved sotith. While at Hagerstown, Lieutenant-Colonel Brisl)ane and 
Chaplain Earnshaw resigned and Major Hulings promoted to lieutenant-colonel 
and Captain John B. Miles to major. 

From Hagerstown the regiment moved through Boonsboro, Middletown and 
Petersville, crossed the Potomac at BerHn,down Loudoun Valley to White Plains, 
where we went into camp for a few days. While here, the first snow storm of 
the season occurred, accompanied by \ ery cold weather, causing considerable 
sufteriug among the men. A number ofthe regiment who went out foraging 
from this camp were captured by the guerrillas under Mosby. The ne.xt move 
brought us to New Baltimore. Here General McClellan was relieved ofthe 
command ofthe army and General Burnside assigned in his stead. Shortly 
after this event, the army was organized into three grand divisions. The First 
and Sixth Corps formed the left grand division command(!d by Major-General 
W^ B. Franklin, the Sixth Corps by General W. F. Smith, our division by 
General Howe, General Pratt retaining the command of the brigade. 

From New Baltimore marched to Aquia Church, to Stafiord Court House, to 
Stalford Heights opposite Fredericksburg. The Sixth Corps going into camp 
near Wliite Oak Church. Participated with the left grand division in the battle 
of Fredericksburg. December 12 to 14, 1862. Recrossed the river on the pon- 
toon ])ridge on the night ofthe 14th and returned to our old camp and remained 
until the Chancellorsvill«> campaign. 

On January 11. 1HG:{, the regiment having become very much depleted in 
numbers, by a .special order from the W^ar Department, was consolidated into 
four companies. Companies U and I formed new A, Captain Wakefield, First 
Lieutenant Thompson, Second Lieutenant Hilands. Companies K and F and 
part of V. formed new B, Captain Freeburn, First Lieutenant Swain, Second 
Ijieutenant Barr. Companies G and D and the balance of E formed new C, 
Captain Hutchis(jn, First Lieutenant Wombacker and Second Lieutenant J. 
P. Smitli. Companies A, B and part of (J formed new D, Cai)tain Quigley, 
First Lieutenant Sherwood, Second Lieutenant, B. H. Downing. Captain 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 293 

Hickman was serving at division licadquarters as ordnance officer ; Captains 
Campbell and DeWitt resigning. Colonel Irwin, Major Miles, Captains .Sweeney, 
Eckeberger and Cox, Lieutenants Eitner, E. D. Smith and D. J. Walliugs and 
all the supernumerary non-commissioned officers were sent to Pennsylvania on 
recruiting service. The colonel and major only remained during the balance 
of the winter and then rejoiiied the battalion. The rest remained in dift'erent 
parts of the State until November 19, 1S63, when, by an order from the War 
Department, the supernumerary line officers were mustered out and honorably 
discharged and the non-commissioned officers were returned to the regiment 
and assigned to the new companies then being organized. 

The battalion under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ilulings took part 
in the " Mud March." Shortly after the army again exchanged ccnumanders, 
Hooker succeeding Burnside, and the army went back to the corps organization. 
Among other general officers, Franklin and Smith were relieved and Major- 
General John Sedgwick was assigned to command the Sixth Corps, General 
Brooks the division and General Russell the brigade. About this time the 
light division was formed, and two regiments from our brigade (Fifth Wiscon- 
sin and Sixth Maine) were assigned to it. Their places in the brigade were filled 
by two other regiments. 

On May 1, the Chancellorsville campaign opened and the Forty-jiinth crossed 
the Rappahannock in pontoon boats under the lire of the enemy. They succeeded 
in crossing and held the ground while the pontoon bridge was thrown across. 
In this engagement Colonel Irwin and Captain Freeburn were wounded, the 
latter mortally. Corporals Cresswell and Bruce were also wounded. After the 
corps succeeded in crossing, the regiment took part in its movements and after 
being almost surrounded after Hooker's defeat, succeeded in escajjing across 
the river at Banks' Ford. 

After Chancellorsville, nothing of importance occurred until Lee made his 
movement north. On .June 20, the Forty-ninth and brigade again crossed the 
Rappahannock below Fredericksburg in pontoon boats and captured the enemy's 
pickets and picket reserves and again estal)lished our line south of the river 
and entrenched from Deep Run to the Bernard House. After completing the 
works, re-crossed the river and followed the army now in pursuit of Lee. Ar- 
rived at Fairfax Court House June 26, Edwards' Ferry on the Potomac, June 
28, crossed to Poolesville, Maryland, and after two days' marching arrived at 
\Vestminster, Maryland, on the evening of July 1, and the first days' battle had 
been fought at Gettysburg. From Westminster marched to Gettysburg, thirty- 
two miles, in a broiling July sun, with but one halt to make coffee and get some" 
thing to eat. Arrived on the battle-field about 2 p. m. of the second day and 
formed the reserve. On the night of the 2d, took position on the side of Round 
Top but were not engaged. On the morning of the 3d took position on this 
ground covering the left flank of the army. Grant's Vermont Brigade with 
Russell's formed in line at right angles with the main line of the army, Fifth 
Wisconsin Volunteers on the extreme left and the Forty -ninth joined it on the 
right. In this position held the ground under heavy artillery fire but no cas- 
ualties are reported. After the retreat of the enemy, the Sixth Corps led the 
advance in pursuit, first in the direction of Chambersburg, then to the left in 
the direction of Emmitsbnrg, arriving at the foot of the Catoctin Mountains 
about dark and attempted to cross during the night but, owing to the darkness 
and heavy rains, were compelled to go into camp on the top of the mountain 



294 Pennsylvania at Geiiyshurg. 

near Hamburg. Early the next luorning continued our march west througli 
Middletown. crossed the South ]\Iountain at Turner's Pass and camped at 
Boonsboro. The next day the Forty-ninth, being in the extreme advance of 
llie army, Avere deployed as skirmishers on either side of the National turnpike 
in the direction of Hagerstown. Skirmishing continued during the day; we 
advancing and the cnem}' falling back on his main body. When near Wil- 
liamsport, Maryland, in the evening of that same day, in skirmishing, Lieuten- 
ant Swain was wounded through the thigh. No attack in force being made 
that evening the enemy withdrew across the Potomac. The Union arm^' crossed 
at Berlin via Boonsboro, marched through Loudoun Yallej'and went into camp 
at "NVarrenton, Virginia, and remained comparatively inactive until November 
6, 1863. While in camp here, on October 24, Colonel Irwin resigned and re- 
turned home, the command devolving on Lieutenant-Colonel Hulings. 

On November 0, moved in the direction of lvai)pahanock Station. On the 
7th, the Forty-ninth again in advance, did the skirmishing until near evening 
vrhen the Sixth Maine took our place and we returned to the main column. By 
this time we were in front of the enemy's works on the north side of the river 
near the station, held by Hoke's and Hays' brigades of Lee's army. The 
works were carried })y stornt and almost all of the enemy captured. The .se- 
verest loss on our side fell to the Fifth Wisconsin and Sixtli Maine wlio lost 
heavily. The lo.ss in the Forty-ninth was three killed, three mortally and lif- 
teen others wounded. Among the latter was Captain Hutchison and Adjutant 
J. T. Stuart. Among the severely wounded was Quartermaster-Sergeant J. 
D. W. Henderson who gallantly borrowed a musket and went into the fight 
and was badly wounded. 

From this point the regiment moved to Brandy Station and went into camp 
near Hazel creek where the winter was spent. Early in December a movement 
■was made to ]\Iine run where the enemy was found in force. No strong attack 
•was made, but for two days the regiment was under artillery fire, during which 
a shell burst in the regiment, wounded slightly Captain Quigiey and four men. 
Returned to the camp and put up winter quarters. About this time the super- 
numerary non-commissioned officers rejoined the regiment, and drafted men and 
substitutes also arriving, four new companies, E, F, G and H, were organized 
and commanded respectively by Wombacker, Sherwood, Stuart and Swain. A 
new company of volunteers recruited by Sergeant Kephartakso joined the regi- 
ment and was commanded by Captain W. P. Kephart. The regiment now 
filled to the minimum, Colonel Hulings, Lieutenant-Colonel Miles and Major 
Hickman Avere mustered in as the field officers. The supernumerary non-com- 
missioned officers were assigned to the newcomjianies. Eight new lieutenants 
were mustered. Lieutenant Ililands promoted to adjutant, and the regiment 
was well manned and officered for the spring campaign, liaving nine companies 
■well filled, about .seven hundred and fifty .strong, a large regiment for those 
days. 

On May 4, the regiment moved with the army in the direction of theenemj', 
cros.sed the Ilapidan at Germanna Mills. On the morning of the 5th formed 
line of battle and moved forward into the Wilderness. Struck the enemy about 
10 o'clock who o])ened a volley on us at about thirty yards. More than fifty 
per cent, of the men in the regiment were new and untried and many of them 
liad been comi)elled to serve by draft, but Ihey stood the shock Avith an invin- 
cibility tliat would have done lionor to Na])oleon\s Imperial Guard in its palmiest 



Pnin.sffJrruna at (Tettiinhurti 295 

days. We drovt- tlie enemy l>ack a short distance and entrenched. In this en- 
gagement the regiment lostal)oiit forty men. of whom three were killed and two 
mortally wounded. 

Maintained our po-sition until after dark of the (ith. On tliis evening the 
enemy in great force attacked the -ight of our corps and tlie army and succeeded 
in turning the flank, capturing two brigadi' commanders in the Tliird Division 
and many of the men. At the same time the Forty-ninth ^vas subjected to a 
very heavy tire, suftering a loss of ten men wounded, one of them mortally. 
After the ilanking movement was stopj^ed our line was changed at right angle.s 
to the one previously held and remained in this po.sition until after dark of the 
7th when the race for Spotsylvania commenced, the Sixth following the Fifth 
Corps. We arrived at Locust Grove about (! p. m.. Sunday, May 8. and found 
the Fifth Corps engaged and alx)ut to charge the enemy. We formed line to 
support the charge. For some reason it Mas not made. Remained in this jjosi- 
tion during the night and early on the morning of the !)th extended our line 
taking position on the left of the Fifth Corps joining it on our right. While 
these dispositions were being made, the gallant and heroic commander of the 
Sixth Corps, Major-General John Sedgwick, Avas shot by a .sharpshooter and 
kille<l. This calamity threw a gloom over everyone. All felt that while the 
army and country had lost a valuable and able commander, every member of 
his gallant corps had lost a personal friend. General H. G. Wright succeeded 
to the command of the corps, General Kussell of the division. General Eustis of 
the Third ISrigade. With the exception of the death of the lamented Sedgwick, 
this day, May 9. passed in comparative quiet in our front. 

About o a. m., of May 10, companies I) and G. Captains Quigley and Stuart, 
with two companies from the One hundred and nineteenth Pennsylvania Vol- 
UT'teers, all under command of Captain Landell, were sent forward as skirmishers 
into the dense woods. Advanced about three hundred yards and found a strong 
line of skirmishers of the enemy. We advanced and drove them back on their 
supports and then back on their line of ]>attlf in entrenchments. In this ad- 
vance we reached a cart road at which a\ e stojiped, still under cover of about 
seventy-five yards of timber with jjiles of fence rails for barricades. At this 
point the officer commanding the right of the line, ordered the men to hold this 
road and to protect themselves behind trees, rail piles, etc. At this moment a 
field officer, a lieutenaut-cohtnel. rode ahmg and directed the line to advance 
to the edge of the woods. The lieutenant with his men knowing the attempt 
would result in certain defeat obeyed the order and mo\ed forward about fortv 
yards and received a galling lire from a line of battle entrenched. The enemy- 
then poured out against us and we were driven back two hundred and fiftv or 
three hundred yards into the woods fighting as we went. We then halted, faced 
about, and again moved forward under a terrible fire, losing men from our weak 
line at every^ step. We fought our way back to the cart road and rail piles at 
which point we stopped and held that line. The first time we had reached this 
position with very small loss, but to re-take it cost the two companies more 
than Ibrty men, one-third of whom were killed. We held the position until 
about 2 p. ni., when we were relieved by companies A and Y., Captains Wake- 
fiekl and Wombacker. 

The two relieved companies, D and G, returned to the regiment and rested 
until about 4.30 p. m., when Eustis' Brigade with Upton'sand another, makiii<' 
a divi.sion of twelve regiments of infantrv, under the command of Colonel Emerv 



296 Pennstf/vania id (Teffyshurt/. 

I'pton, of the One hundreil and Iwenty-lii-st New Vi)ik Volunteers, moved for- 
ward to assault the enemy. The storming column was formed in four lines 
with a front of three regiments and the lines twenty paces apart. The same 
cart road which had been so gallantly fought for and held by the skirmishers 
during the day was the very spot where the assaulting columns were formed 
and from which tlie charge was made. The Forty-ninth was upon the right of 
the second line and was represented by six companies Companies A and E 
were still on the skirmish line in front, and Companj- C was detailed to picket 
the right of the corps. Upon the tiring of a signal gun the assaulting column 
dashed forward, fii-st through the timber about seventy-five yards into an open 
field of about one hundred and fifty to two hundred yards wide and then into 
slashed timber about one hundred yards, to strongly entrenched works, well 
manned with infantry and artillery. It seemed that when we emerged from 
our cover of timber, the first line of battle had melted away before the de- 
structive fire of the enemy and we w ho had been in the second line now led the 
charge. We moved rapidly forward under a terrible fire of infantry and artil- 
lery, across the open field, through the slashed timber and over the first line of 
earthworks filled with the enemy, who threw down their arms and were sent to 
the rear, then forward through another line of rifle-pits. While between these 
two lines we suffered dreadfully from a battery about one hundred yards dis- 
tant on our right which threw canister into us by the bushel. A little later the 
])attery Avas captured. Captain Honey of the Sixth Maine cutting down an 
artilleryman with his sword with his hand on tlie lanyard. The charge was up 
to this time a complete success, but a little while after, owing to the failure' of 
the supports to arrive in time to protect our flanks, the enemy on the flanks 
changed front and compelled the withdrawal of the whole force who were able 
to leave the field. The Forty -ninth with the other regiment did all in this 
charge that could possibly be done by the same number of men and with the 
support received, but at dreadful cost. Colonel Hulings, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Miles, Captain Kephart and Lieutenant Ly tie were killed; Captains Barr, Quig- 
ley and Stuart wounded, the former mortally; Lieutenants Irwin, Russell. 
Hilands, .1. B. Downing wounded, and Lieutenant Barton wounded and cap- 
tured. Seventy-one enlisted men killed, twenty-one mortally wounded and 
one hundred and eighty-two others wounded and missing. X total of two hun- 
dred and eightj'-six oflicers and men out of about four hundred and fifty en- 
gaged, a loss of sixty-three and one-half per cent, of all who went into the en- 
gagement. The total loss to the regiment in this day's fighting was about 
three hundred and twenty-five men. 

The next day. May 11, it was comparatively quiet in our Iront. Lieutenant 
.John M. Thompson was badly wounded in the left arm Ity a sharpshooter while 
on picket. 

On the morning of May 12, General Hancock, with the Second Corps, charged 
at what afterwards was known as the "lUoody .Vngle," captured two general 
oflicers and several thousand iiri.soners, but was unable to continue the moM- 
nient and the Sixth Corps was sent to his relief. The Forty-ninth fought the 
enemy for the whole day at only a few yards distance, as many ;is two hundred 
rounds of ammunition being used per man, and the mu.skets ])ecame.so foul :ind 
lieated that the rifle in the bore was worn smooth, and after this light they would 
not carry a ball thirty yards. They were afterwards changed for Springfield 
rifles. In this fight large oak trees were literally cut ofl" by liullets ; no artil- 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 297 

lery conkl be used. The legimont lost in this engagement, sixteen killed, two 
mortally woiuuleil and about thirty othei-s wounded. Among the latter was 
Captain Wombacker, Lieutenants ]'.. H. Downing and Ilowell. 

The losses in officers in these engagements made the following promotions: 
Major Hickman to lieutenant-colonel, Captain Wakelield to major, Lieutenant 
Thompson to captain Company A, .Second I.,ieutenant Wix. to first and Sergeant 
J. B. Rodgers to second lieutenant A, Lieutenant layers to captain of 1, 
Hackenberg first lieutenant and D. A. Stahl second lieutenant, John S. Brat- 
ton to captain B, Samuel H. Irvin first and John J. Higlit second lieutenant, 
Joseph W. Wallace first and O. S. Kumberger second lieutenant of H and Howell 
and Davison first and second lieutenants of F. 

After the sanguinary engagements at Spotsylvania were ended, moved by 
the left flank to the Pamunk(\v river and Cold Harbor where the regiment was 
under fire and partly engaged daily from June 1 to 7, losing nine killed, two 
mortally wounded and about thirty others wounded and missing, among the 
latter Lieutenant James P. Smith and several men were captured by the enemy. 
Lieutenant Smith was held a prisoner until the following spring and rejoined 
the regiment after Lee's surrender. 

From Cold Harbor moved again by the left and crossed the .lames river and 
took part in the siege of Petersburg until July 7, 1864. While here Colonel 
Oliver Edwards of the Thirty-seventh Ma.ssachu setts Volunteers succeeded 
General Eustis in command of the brigade. 

On July 7, 1864, a strong force having been sent to menace Wasliington and 
Baltimore, the Sixth Corps cut loose from tlie Army of tlie Potomac and took 
transports at City Point for the National Capital, arriving in Washington on 
the evening of July 9. We raced the enem^' from Fort Stevens in the defenses 
of Washington to Snicker's Gap, but they succeeded in crossing the Shenandoah 
and escaped. Returned to Wa.shingtoii passing through our old Camp Griffin 
on the way. Marched through ^Maryland to Frederick City and to Harper's 
Ferry. By this time the Middle ^Military Division was formed and composed of 
the Sixth, Eighth and Nineteenth corps, all under the command of Major-Gen- 
eral Philip H. Sheridan who gained for his troops additional glory and they in 
return made him world famous by the time the campaign ended. 

Shortlj- after our arrival at Harper's Ferry the small-pox broke out in the 
regiment and it was isolated at Bolivar Heights for aV)out a month. On Septem- 
ber 13. rejoined the division then encamped near Berryville. 

Early on the morning of September 19, moved in the direction of Winchester. 
Struck the enemy near Opequon creek and fought a fierce battle during the 
whole of the day, the enemy's forces tailing back towards Winchester. About 
noon two brigades of Early's forces which had been .sent in the direction of 
Martinsburg returned and made a desperate attack on the left of the Nineteenth 
Corps, driving them back. This repulse uncovered the right flank of Russell's 
Division of the Sixth Corps. Russell put himself at the head of the brigade 
and hurried in to retrieve the disaster, and succeeded in stopping the enemy, 
but in the movement the general was killed, shot to death with a cannon ball. 
General Frank Wheaton succeeded to the command of the division. Towards 
the close of the day, and while the infantry and artillery were driving the enemy, 
the cavalry division struck them on their left flank, doubling them up and 
sent them "Whirling through Winchester," winning a glorious victory on the 
open field. In this engagement First Lieutenant .Toseph W. Wallace was killed 



298 Pennstjlvania of Geityshiini. 

and Captain John .M. Thompson desperatelj- wounded in seven phices by the 
explosion oC a sclirapnel, directly in front of him. Ten enlisted men were 
kiliid and alx)uf tliirly wounded, eight of them mortally. 

While the light was at its height Major Wakefield, wlio had l>een away on 
special service, was returning, an<i hearing tlie sound of the battle, with two or 
three comrades wen; hurrying up from Berry villc to rejoin their commands, and 
when within a mile of the line of the Union army in action were captured by a 
gang of Mosby's men and carried around the flank of our army to Richmond. 
He was confined at Danville, Ya., until the next spring. 

.Vfter this engagement the brigade was detailed to guard the post at Win- 
chester, guarding trains t4) and from Martinsburg etc.. until after the battle of 
Cedar Creek, on October l!». 18()4. 

Wliile encamjied at Winchester the regiment received from the State a new 
stand of colors which wer<> presented by Colonel Edwards, and received on the 
part of the regiment by ('ai)tain .Tames T. Stuart. 

On Octol)er 24, the brigade rejoined the corps at Cedar Creek and remained 
there until after the presidential election, then moved midway between Mid- 
dletown and Winchester until about December 6, when the Sixth Corps left the 
valley and returned to the siege of Petersburg. Went into the line in front of 
Yellow House near Fort Wadsworth. The regiment succeeded in finding 
splendid winter (juarters built by some soldiers of the Fifth Corps. Here we 
remained, with the exception of a reconnaissance to Hatcher's Run, until April 
2, 1865. 

In the last days of March troops in large bodies were passing in the rear of 
us to the left, moving to Five Forks and the series of battles were commencing 
to end the rebellion. 

On Sunday morning. April 2, the regiment and brigade ( having formed dur- 
ing the previous night in front of Fort Fisher) at the early dawn charged the 
works in our front and broke through the enemy's lines. The regiment turned 
to the left and emptied the rifle pits for about a mile, wlien troops from the 
Second Corps took our place and continued the movement while we faced about 
and closed in on Petersburg, the Sixth Corps holding the line from the Appo- 
mattox river to the old rebel line of works. Lo.ss of the regiment in the en- 
gagement, one killed and about a dozen wounded. Among the latter was the 
adjutant who received a .slight saber cut in the left hand in going over the 
rebel entrenchments. 

The movement of this day compelled the evacuation of Richmond and Pet- 
ersburg. Early on the morning of the :>d, started in pursuit of the enemy in 
the direction of Amelia Court House. General Sheridan had been pleading 
for the Sixth Corps from the beginning of the cam])aign but until now (Irant 
had work for them and they could not be spared. The Sixth Corps now moved 
rapidly across the army to the extreme right to Sheridan's helj). We caught 
up with him at Sailor's creek about 5 p. m., of April 6, and inimediatelv 
formed line of battle under Sheridan's direction, the brigade in the following 
order : Fifth Wisconsin on the right joined by the One-hundred and nine- 
teenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, the Forth-ninth in the center joined by the 
Sixth Maine to the left and the Thirty -seventh Massachusetts on the left of 
the brigade. While forming Major Gray of the One hundred and nineteenth 
asked the general of the situation. He replied aloud, "Boys, Custer is acro.ss 
there pointingi about two miles with his cavalry and fourteen pieces of artil- 



Pennsylvania at GeUysimnj. 299 

lery aiul we'ro here, and J", well with liis rorps is bclwecn us and if we press them 

the}' will be in a tight lix."' As soon as the lines were formed we 

'"pressed." Moved forward in line of battle down sloping ground to the creek 
which we crossed, it being from knee to waist deep. After crossing we lay 
under cover of a knoll a few minutes to perfect the alignments. In a few min- 
utes Captain Colt of Edwards' staff rode along and directed an advance on the 
double-(iuick. The enemy was under cover of a woods about one hundred and 
fiifty yards in our front and between us open ground. The regiment 
advanced rapidly through a perfect storm of bullets but in fifteen 
minutes it was all over and General Ewell commanding the corps, with 
seven other general officers and about 7.000 officers and men were captured. 
The regiment in this engagement was opposed by a regiment of marines 
from Richmond who had never been in an engagement but they fought 
Aaliantly and when flanked and surrounded hardly knew enough to surrender. 

The loss of the regiment in this battle was excessively severe. Owing to the 
hard and wearisome marches made for four days; we carried only about 250 men 
into the battle. Of these fifteen were killed including Lieutenant Hackenberg, 
six mortally wounded including Lieutenants John B. Rodgers and John D. Gil- 
lespie, about sixty others were wounded. The most distressing part of these 
losses was that this was our last battle and a number of those killed were men 
■who had been with us from the organization of the regiment. Notably, Lieu- 
tenants Rodgers and Gillespie, Sergeant-Major J. Roy Hackenberg and First 
Sergeant Calvin Cain. 

Shortly after the end of the fight the Forty-ninth was detailed to guard pris- 
oners at Sheridan's headquarters. During the night Custer's cavalry brought 
in a large number in addition to those previously captured. About 8 a. m. of 
the 7th, the regiment was ordered to conduct the prisoners to Burkeville Jimction 
which was a full day's march from the battle-field. Arrived at Burkeville about 
dark and turned the prisoners over to the provost marshal, drew rations and 
■went into camp for the night. Early on the next morning (April 8) we started 
for the front, marched rapidly in the direction of Appomattox Court Hoase, 
passing through Farmville and reached the front and joined the brigade on the 
morning of the lOth, after the surrender of Lee which had occurred the day be- 
fore (April 9, 1865). 

We then returned with the army to Burkeville Junction and went into camp 
where we remained until the 35th. While in camp here, on April 16, Adjutant 
Downing was mustered as captain of Company F and Lieutenant Robert Davison 
of Company F as adjutant of the regiment. Here also we were joined by a com- 
pany of volunteers from Allegheny county, Company K, commanded by Cap- 
tain J. F. Reynolds, First Lieutenant James H. Bascom and Second Lieutenant 
Thomas M. Gillespie. 

On April 25, General Johnson not having yet surrendered to Sherman, the 
Sixth Corps marched to Danville in the very southern edge of Virginia, making 
the march in four days. Here we found many men from Lee's army awaiting 
transportation further south. The old corps marched through the city ■with 
colors unfurled and the men never felt prouder nor marched better than on this 
occasion. We went in camp south of the city on the edge of North Carolina 
and remained until after Johnson's surrender. 

While here one recruit arrived and was assigned to Companj' F, which lacked 
one man of the minimum, and as a result. First Sergeant Glass was mustered as 



300 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

second lieutenant of the companj' which event occurred jnst in time, for the mail 
arrived while Glass was at the mustering officer's which brought news of the 
death of George Stanford, wounded at Sailor's Creek, and two others discharged 
for disabilit}'. Had Glass been an hour later he would have failed in being 
mustered. 

On May 6, we returned by rail to Burkeville and the corps was distributed 
along theSouthside railroad. The Forty-ninth headquarters were at Wellsville 
with eight companies, while two companies under the command of Cai)tain 
"Wombacker were stationed at Blacks and "Whites Station, about eight miles 
further south. While here the Arm}- of the Potomac, with the exception of the 
Sixth Corps, returned to Washington. Sherman's army from Atlanta also passed 
hy us ou their way to the National Capital. After the grand review of the two 
armies in Washington, the Sixth Corps, about June 1, broke camj) and marched 
to Petersburg and Manchester opposite Richmond, went into camp for two 
days, then marched through Richmond, reviewed by General Halleck, on to 
Mechanicsville and Fredericksburg, and arrived at Hall's Hill opposite Wash- 
ington, where we remained until July 15. In the meantime, however, the 
Sixth Corps also passed in review through Washington. On July 12, orders 
were received to make the muster-out rolls, preparatory to discharge. 

Everything being prepared Captain A. M. Tyler, mustering officer, visited us 
and mustered the regiment out of the service on July 15, 1865, three years and 
ten months after organization. 

We proceeded through Washington and Baltimore to Harrisburg where the 
officers and men w^ere paid and finally discharged, and the Forty-ninth Regiment 
of Pennsylvania Volunteers had passed into history. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

53° REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September ii, 1S89 
ADDRESS OF FIRST LIEUT. CHAS. P. HATCH, ADJUTANT 

COMRADES :— We meet to-day for a noble and glorious j^urpose, and one 
which (umnot but appeal to the heart of every soldier here who was a 
member of our old command. At the same time Itwoirld be strange 
indeed, if the occasion did not engender Avithin us emotions of a con- 
flicting nature. 

AsT look arounil me and sec how few there are of us left, memories of the 
past come crowding before me. I recall to memory those days in '63 when 
we were battling with the enemy upon this very field. I am carried still 
farther back to '61 when we started out uiion our military career, and, compar- 
ing that starting out with to-day, one cannot but be profoundly impressed not 
alone by the changed and happj' conditions now existing, but .sorrowfully as 
well, as wo recall to inemorv our former comrades, now dead and gone but then 
with lis brave, eager and enthusiastic. 

The records of the War Deixvrtmcnt show that from '61 to '63 our regiment 
had already gone through ten principal engagements, not counting the numer- 
ous minor ones, and in each many were stricken from our ranks, and when, in 




PHOTO. BY W. H. TIPTON, GETTYSBURS. 



PRINT: THE F. GUTEKUNST CO., PHILA. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 301 

lH(i;;, we marched upon the liekl orcioltvsburg, our rauks luitl already been sadly 
depleted, but again our thin ranks were further reduced in numbers. From 
Gettysburg to Appomattox inelusive the Fifty-third took part in sixteen addi- 
tional principal engagements, making twenty-six in all, averaging one princi- 
pal engagement or battle for each hfty days of service, including the time spent 
in winter quarters, and not counting the reconnaissances, special services and 
incidental encounters with the enemy between battles, in all of which however 
we suffered constant losses in killed and wounded. 

Our regimental reiwrts of casualties during the war foot up thirty-flve 
officers and seven hundre<l and two enlisted men, giving a total of seven 
hundred and thirty-seven. Of these, the record of killed in iiction or died of 
wounds received in action is four officers and one hundred and ninety-six en- 
listed men, a total of exactly two hundred killed. These facts and remin- 
iscences vividly recall the past and we would be indeed singularly constituted 
were our feelings not wrought upon liy the retrospect. 

Still, with it all comes over us theproitd consciousness of a soldier's faithful 
service, and associated with it a sentiment of pride and admiration in the gal- 
lantry and fortitude of our old comrades who gloriously laid down their lives 
in the cause which we had all alike assumed, and when we remember that our 
presence here to-day is at the bidding of our State, as being worthy of its honors 
for the service they atul we performed, we experience feelings of jirofouud 
gratitude and satisfaction, in that it is our privilege to .see this memorial monu- 
ment erected and dedicated in honor of those old comrades and of our gallant 
old regiment, for it was a gallant regiment, as its official record bears witness, 
and we are amply entitled to all our feelings of pride in having been members 
of it. That it served in line with the numerous other gallant commands from 
our own as well as other States, would alone be sufficient glory for the Fifty- 
third, even though it had no other claims for credit, but I believe the evidence 
will show that probably few regiments in our whole armj' saw more arduous or 
severe service during the war, a fact not realized by us at the time but now 
demonstrated in the statistical summing up. It will however be out of place 
for me here and at this time to even attempt to trace the career of our old com- 
mand during the war, or enter upon its active participation in tlie many en- 
gjigements in which it bore a part and I but touch upon the general facts. 

As with many another, our regiment had its origin in that great uprising in 
1861, a year we well remember who lived and moved in its excitements, but of 
which the younger and present generation can have no adequate conception. 

An economic and political question which had. at the time the constitution 
of the country was first under discussion and being formulated, already been 
the cause of anxious thought and then adjusted by compromise, a qtiestioa 
which later on was the cause of renewed discussions and new compromises, 
■which had passed all the stages, from anxious debate to acrimonious contro- 
versy, finally reached its culmination in 1861, when, though I cannot say with- 
out warning or premonition, the blow fell which was the knell of war between 
the two sections of the country. There were those no doubt on the one side 
■who had early determined to strike the blow, there were those in the North 
who saw its coming, yet the country at large could not believe in the possibility 
of such a calamity and was amazed as well as astounded when it come, but be- 
fore that first shot upon Fort Sumter had ceased echoing over the land, the 
revulsion came in a mighty cry of denunciation for those who had done the 



302 I'ri,)is///rinii(( III ( irft/fyhirrg. 

deed, and men in countless iimiibei-sjiiid I'loiu ull sides olTlie loyal Noith d<- 
mauded lo be led to the defense of'our countrv's Hag. 

Si), and then, the Fifty-third I'ennsylvania was horn and orj^anized, not for 
hope of })ersonal reward, not for love, hut throujih that exalted and vivifying 
putriotisni whieh pervaded the hearts of the loyal North, asking only to he led 
to the front to meet the enemj'. There was l>ut one thought, that in the 
Providence of God there was one duty above every other presented to us, and 
that wiis the defense of our flag, the maintenance of our government and gl<)- 
rious national it}' in all its integrity, and for this the men of '61 freely volun- 
teered their services and if need he their lives. .\s was natural under the ten- 
sion of public feeling then existing, the people were in advance of the constituted 
authorities, coming together intuitively and hy a common impulse, taking tlie 
initiative in organization and selecting their leaders under whom they desired 
to .serve. 

We found ours in Captain John \l. Brooke who had already served as an ol- 
ficer in the preliminary three-mouths' .service, and he became our colonel, and 
as corroboration of the worthiness and fitness of the selection, as well as testi- 
fying a-s to the (quality of the command under him, I have hut to mention that 
after the close ot the war he was commissioned in the regular military service 
(if the United States and is to-day holding the rank of brigadier-general. 

Our lieutenant-colonel was Richards McMichael of Pottsville, Pa., a veteran 
of the Mexican war, while our major was Thomas Yeager of AUentown, I^i.t 
who lost his life at Fair Oaks. 

On the one side, therefore, were arrayed those who had taken up arms in de- 
fense and for the perpetuation of our National life. On the other were arrayed 
those who, though doubtless equally as sincere in their convictions, yet .sought 
the destruction of our National government, and the right to maintain a sepa- 
rate confederate government. 

The i.ssue at .stake was a momentous one and upon the outcome of those days 
of conflict upon which we were about to enter, dejx'nded con.sequences to our 
country and humanity which would shape the destiny of generations. 

Our giand government, which had already done so much to raise the diguit.\ 
ol' man and labor, which had long ])ecn the wonder and admiration of civilized 
people as they viewed the progress and pro.sperity already attained by a peo- 
ple living under constitutional guarantees of liberty and freedom, was now 
threatened with subversion. In the principles involved it was as a .struggle 
between giants. It was in fact a war between men of kindred blood and an- 
tecedents. 

With the great i.ssues before us, and with the .spirit prevailing and which ani- 
niate<l oui- regiment, therefor(!, how im2)atiently were pas.sed tho.se early days 
r)l" neces.sary jtreparation in Camp Curtin, until that, to us, eventful day, Novem- 
ber 7, 1^01, when, a completely organized and ecjuipped regiment, the Fifty-third 
was drawn up in line and presented with its colors by the tiovernor of our 
State, Andrew G. Curtin. 

That which we had a.sked had come to us, and the emblem which we were to 
defend had 1)een (ilaced in our charge. How that charge was fulfilled, our duty 
performed, is attested hi'ie and by these ceremonies to-day, with our colors re- 
stored to the State unsullied and without stain, though they may be and are in 
lact raggi'd and torn by service and ex])osure on the numerous fields of battle 
when; they had been so gallantly borne l)y the I'i ft ,\ -third, and they rest to-day 



J*rnn.s//lr(i]ii(i nl ( r<lfii,shin<i. 303 

in lionored comiiiinion.'^liip in the ta}iit()l ol' ilic Slalt'. I roni llic moment ilic 
Fifty-third received its colors they were never out of its possession until the 
day they were aj^ain returned to the Stat<- at the close of the war and the i<tri- 
ment disbanded. 

Following the prescntiition of our colors we received niarcliinj; orders, and at 
9 a. m., November 9, 1861, left Camp Curtin, being trun-siwrted by rail from 
Harrisburg to Washington, by way of York and Baltimore, where we became a 
part of the Third Brigade, Sumner's Division, afterward known as First Divi- 
sion, Second Army Corps. We remained connected with th«! Third Brigade until 
.\pril 14, 1863, when a Fourtli lirigade for our division was organized, to b<; 
commanded by Colonel Brooke, to which our regiment was naturally transferred. 

Originally enlisting lor three years our regiment re-enlisted for the war, De- 
cember 22, 1863, and thus became entitled to be known as the Fifty-third Fenn- 
sylvania Veteran Volunteers. It was present at Appomattox Court House at 
the surrender of General Lee and was mustered out of the service of the United 
States, June 30, 1865. 

Gettysburg will, I think, be hereafter, if it is not already, classetl among the 
great battles of the world, a crucial period in the war, governing the eventual out- 
<;ome or fate of a cause. It is true, battles had been fought by us, successes 
achieved bj' our arms, but none had yet seemed to possess that potent and de- 
cisive influence which presaged defeat or victory to the cause at large. At the 
period there were two great points of conflict, Vicksburg and Gettysburg. 

Upon the 3d day of July, Vicksburg asked terms of surrender, on the same 
day and almost the .same hour the Army of the Potomac, under command of 
(Jeneral Meade, dealt the Confederate army, commanded by General Lee, its 
final blow, one it never recovered from, for though it fought bravely and vig- 
orously through the Wilderness Campaign of '64, after withdrawing behind the 
defenses of Kichmond and Petersburg it was never again able to take the of- 
fensive in the fleld and only left those defenses in the spring of '6.') to surrender 
in a few days to the illustrious commander of our armies. General Grant. 

The defeat of the main army of the Confederates at Gettysburg, probably the 
strongest and best equipped they had at any time sent into the fleld, composetl 
of veterans, and encouraged by their advantages at Frederick.sburg and Chan- 
cellorsville, was irreparable. Their cause was thereafter hopeless. That its 
importance was read right at the time by those who had watched the drift of 
events and knew the art of war is without doubt. In this connection I need 
but quote the words of our old corps commander, noble generous-hearted Han- 
cock, spoken while on the field and but shortly prior to the final charge of tin- 
enemy under Pickett. It was while the artillery fire of the 3d was in full 
progress, and which you will remember had opened on lx)tli .sides about 1 p. ni. 

About 2.30 p. m., Colonel Brooke with his stafi', including mj'self, had ridden 
out to a small farm house some two hundred yards in front of our line of battle. 
a little to the left, observing the effect of our artillery fire upon the enemy's 
lines and watching their movements, when General Hancock, accompanied by 
some of his staff, also rode up. After some general conversation pertinent to 
the occasion, Hancock started to return to our lines again, as he did so however 
he drew himself up in the saddle in the manner which gave him the name of 
"Superb," and remarked: 

"Gentlemen, after this artillery fire is over it will be followed by an infantry 
attack upon our lines. This battle is the turning point of the war : if we win 



304 Pennsylvania at (ToUiishurg. 

tliis light the war is practiciilly over," ami as giving a further ]K)rlrayal of his 
ailmirable qualities. 1 c-iinnot refrain from also quoting his closing remarks 
which were as follows: "We Ciinnot tell where any of ns may be before this 
(lay is over; before leaving you I wish to say T speak harshly sometimes. If I 
have at any time ever .said anything to otTend or hurt the feelings of aiiy one 
of you I wish now to oiler an apology." 

Those who had the good fortune to know General Hancock personally, can 
easily recall and fully appreciate his characteristic nobility, generosity and 
magnaminity ; he was actuated by all these graceful attributes of the true 
soldier and as well gave evidence of his clear military sagacity when he thus 
spake, and then, as though his mind at ease and prepared and ready for any fate 
which might be in store for him. he rode olT, and, as is w^ell known, was, not much 
later on during the charge on our lines, badly wounded and borne from the field. 

We none of us of course understood him to imply that this w'as to be the last 
battle to be fought, but that its loss would be di.sastrous and vital to the enemy, 
that the end was thereafter a foregone conclusion in a military sense, and such 
was the case, for the enemy never recovered from the blow it received here. 
It is therefore because Gettysburg was the turning point, the great culminating 
battle of the war, that it has been accorded such prominence, that it has been 
thought well to mark this field with these imperishable memorials to stand 
hereafter to the glory and credit of those who participated in its dangers, and 
the monuments will certainly lose none of their significance; in truth itshould 
be all the greater, in being located and dedicated by those who themselves had 
taken part in the conflict, while to the .student and historian of the future, their 
value must prove inestimable, for who will question the correctness of the story 
of Gettysburg written in these imperishable characters by those who fought the 
fight. When, in 1863, the enemy, being then around Fredericksburg, started, 
northwest upon his Gettysburg campaign, our regiment was in camp near Fal- 
mouth, Va., opposite Fredericksburg, and at the time constituted a part of the 
Fourth Brigade, First Division, Second Army Corps, the other regiments being the 
One hundred and forty-fifth Pennsylvania, Second Delaware, Sixty-fourth New 
York and Twenty-seventh Connecticut. 

The brigade was under command of Colonel John 11. Brooke, colonel of our 
regiment, while the regiment was under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Rich- 
ards McMichael, 1, your adjutant, being on the staffof the brigade conlmander 
a.s acting assistant adjutant-general At the period named our brigade received 
orders at 2 a. m., June 14, to be ready to march at 8 a. m., and at the latter hour 
we were under arms awaiting orders. It was at the time part of our duty to 
"picket'' a portion of the front before Fredericksburg and we therefore had but 
about five hundred men for duty in the brigade. 

We remained under arms until 2 p.m., when, a section of artillery having 
been ailded to our force, we received orders to move in ha.ste and occupy Banks' 
Ford on the Rajjpahannock; we marched at once and upon reaching our destina- 
tion found tlie Fifty-second New York of the Third Brigade already arrived 
there and wliich for this duty was placed in our brigade. Our duty was to pro- 
tect the ford, prevent its use by the enemy and observe their movements, their 
columns being then in movement up the south side of the river. We held the 
ford until 9 p. m. that night, when, leaving the Fifty-.seoond New York at the 
ford, the brigade withdrew to Berea Church about two and one-half miles from 
the ford wlu-re we took up position for attack and then went into bivouac. The 



Pennsylvania at Getty si )nr</. 305 

next morning early the regiment at tlie ford was also withdrawn and at ."..;;(» 
a. m., the brigade took up the line of march lor Stallbrd Court House to reaeh 
which we had to retrace our route through the camps aroiuid Falmouth, all oC 
which were now silent and deserted. 

That portionol'our brigade which had been on picket duty before Fredericks- 
burg was at the same time withdrawn, ami rejoined us as we passed Falmouth. 
Our brigade was the last to leave the front ot Frederick-sburg. Our march to Staf- 
ford Court House was a rapid one, as we reached there about 10 a. m., making 
the distance about twelve miles, in about four and one-half hours; upon reach- 
ing Stafford we found our corps and division, which had halted, anxiously 
awaiting our withdrawal, wheu after a further halt of about two hours we with 
our corps resumed our march and that afternoon about 5 p. m. went into bivouac 
at Aquia creek. The day had been inten.sely warm, some thirty men of the 
corps being sunstruck on the march, while hundreds almost exhausted by the 
heat and unable to keep up with the column struggled in the rear as best they 
could, but most came in after dark, though many were captured by the enemy's 
cavalry. 

June 16, at (i a. m.. our corps again resumed its march, our brigade with a 
section of artillery now acting as rear guard for the column. At 11 a. m. we 
forded the Occoqnan and passing beyond a short distance went into camp about 
2 p. m. This day like the preceding was exhausting and the heat oppressive, our 
men suffering severely. June 17, 7.30 a. m., we again struck camp and, moving 
via Dumfries, went into camp at Sangster's Station about noon, where, actino- 
under orders, all extra baggage and all men not able to endure the march were 
forwarded to Washington, We remained at Sangster's until 4 p. m, June 19, 
when, breaking camp, we moved to Centerville, which we reached at 7,30 p. m. " 
At this point our ))rigade was ordered to occupy and hold Thoroughfare Gap, 
while our corps moved on, and fortius purpose our brigade broke camp at noon 
June 20, reaching and occupying the Gap at 11 p, m. that night. We held the 
Gap until 9 a. m., June 25, the enemy making occasional demonstrations on our 
pickets, and at times forcing us to go into line of battle, but beyond some skirm- 
ishing, by which we lost one killed and five or six wounded, nothing of moment 
occurred, and at the hour mentioned we withdrew and marched to Gum Sprino-s, 
being followed from the Gap ])y the enemy's cavalry, where we a<^aiu 
came up with our corps. At (i a. m., June 26, our whole column was 
again on the march and now directly for the Potomac river, which we 
crossed at Edwards' Ferry at midnight, going into bivouac about 2.30 a. m., 
June 27, on the north side, where we halted until 3 p, m. when we again 
resumed our march, going into camp near Barnesville, Md,, about 11 p. m. June 
28, 6 a. m., we started for and at 4 p. m. reached the Monocacy river, where we 
halted, and our brigade went into camp on the same ground occupied similarly 
by us the year previous when on our march tor jVntietam, June 29, 6 a, m., we 
crossed the Monocacy by the stone bridge and marching via Frederick Citj^ 
and Union Bridge, went into camp near Uniontown, Md, al)out 9,30 p. m., mak- 
ing for the day an unusually long march of thirty-three miles. Here we re- 
mained until the morning of .July 1. On this day, which witnessed the open- 
ing of the three days' battle at Gettj'sburg, we broke camp at Uniontown at (> a. 
m, and took up our line of march via Taneytown, After making a few miles 
the familiar sound of artillery firing was heard in the advance, which we then 

2U 



306 Pennsylvania at Getfy.sfmrg. 

had leamoci was at or near (lettTsbnij;, toward \vliirli our ^oh1nlll^ wove now 
rapidly converging. 

Vou no doubt all remember our crossing the boundary line into Teunsyhania 
and what riniriug cheers went up from our regiment when we found oursehes, 
aft<»r so long an absence, once more treading the soil of our native State and 
that we were to do battle so near our homes. Footsore and jaded as all were, 
the step became more si>ringy, the gait (juickened as our forward movement 
went on, while the sound of artillery became momentarily more rapid as well 
as more distinct as we advanced. In fact the great fight had fairly begun, and 
we knew must he in full progress in the front, and as we recall the scene there 
is even now the old thrill and inspiration in the contemplation of our veteran 
column jmshing on with all the determination and speed possible toward the 
field which we knew was the prelude to the desperate encounter we were our- 
selves to engage in with the enemy. 

It was about 'i.'AO p. m.. while our column was thus pushing forward, our 
brigade being in the lead and our regiment leading the brigade. General Han- 
cock with Colonel Brooke and their respective staft's were at the time riding at 
the head of the line, when a mounted orderly came rapidly down the road to- 
ward us and, approaching General Hancock, handed him the communication 
from General Meade apprising him of the death of General Reynolds and di- 
recting him to at once take command of the forces in the front and then en- 
gaged with the enemy. Delaying only to announce the purport of the order 
and to give (Jolonel Brooke some instructions as to our further march, Hancock 
rode off rapidly in the direction of Gettysbuig. In a short time after the am- 
bulance bearing the body of the lamented Reynolds passed us in the (;ontrary 
direction. 

That night about 10 p. m. we went into bivouac about two miles from Gettys- 
burg, the l)attle for the day having ceased, but by 7 a. m.. July 2, we were as- 
signed position on Cemetery Ridge about one mile north of Little Round Top 
on the right of the Third Corps, the enemy being in our front across tlie valley 
about one mile. The weary hours we spent in this position I need liardly men- 
tion. V)eing varied (mly by shifting our position here and there, but never far, 
and this continued from 7 a. m. until 4 j). m., when all our weariness vanished 
as we unexpectedly and somewhat to our surprise, .saw the Third Corps under 
General Sickles advancing from our left and moving acro.ss the valley to the 
peach orchard and the Emmitsburg load. At first uncertain what it meant 
we soon saw them penetrate the peach orchard, and realized by the rattle of 
musketry which followed that the second day's fight had opened. Entertain- 
ing no doubt l)ut that w(; would shortly be ordered forward to join in it, we 
were intently watching the fighting going on before us. when we were, about 
5 p. m.. .suddenly called to attention and our brigade was ordered to the left, 
at double-ijuick, our movement being left iu front. We were soon in line of 
battle at the edge of the wheat-field, where by the time of our arrival the Fir.st 
Brigade of ourdivision, under command of Colonel Cross of the Fifth New 
Hampshire, had already become hotly engaged and were being pressed by the 
enemy. Halting only to rectify our ranks, our brigade was ordered to advance 
to the relief of the First Brigade, and we at once moved forward faced by the 
rear rank, liaving no time to form by the front, and passing the line of the First 
P)rigade at the edge of the field, .struck the enemy and we also found ourselves 
hotly engaged. Oui brigade however pressed forward st<'adily. firing as it ad- 



Pennsylvania at (rttfysburij. 307 

Yjinced, opposed by hoih inlUiitr.v and artilh-iN, tlie lallcr bein<;' posted on the 
higli f!;round ])eyond, but we nevertheless soon drove the eneni3''s I'ront line by 
fnir linn advaiue, but the enemy's artilh'rv lire was now lelt by Colonel Brooke 
Xii be telling; 1o() severely upon us at this time and lie therefore orilered a charge 
by the brigade which gallantly reri])onded. and. dashing forward, broke the 
enemy's second line and mounting the high ground beyond the run, drove thi; 
enemy's artillery from its position, and it was in this charge and at this time 
the PMfty-third Pennsylvania reached the identical spot now marked by this 
monument, the Sixty-fourth New York being on our left, two companies of the 
Twenty-seventh Connecticut on our right, with the One hundred and forty-fifth 
Pennsylvania on the right of the line and their respective monuments stand 
with our own on this glorious and advanced line. 

A partof the Third Brigade of our division (our original brigade) was not far 
oil', and hoping to maintain our position, Colonel Brooke, in the emergency, at 
once ass\imed command over them, ordering them to our aid, to hold what wv 
had gained, but we were too far in advance of our lines, and the enemy still 
being in strong force in our fi-ont and moving upon both <mr right and left flanks, 
.seeing no troops coming to our sissi-stance. Colonel Brooke wjis obliged to order 
our line to fall back, which it did slowly and in good order, firing as it retired. 
In fact we retired none too soon, as our brigade was almost enveloped by the, 
enemy before it had reached and repassed the wheat-field, where we reformed 
behind some stone walls in line with (jur other troops, prepared to continue the 
fight, but at this time fresh troops came up and relieved our brigade, when we 
withdrew to a point nearer Little Ivound Top to reform, it l)eing then about 
7 p. m. and tlie fight for the day practically over. 

After reforming, we moved to a position near that occupied by us betbre the 
battle where we rested under arms until early the next morning, July :5. when 
we again moved with our position in the Iront line on Cemetery Ridge, the 
enemy having our movement in plain view, shelling us severely ; we lost several 
of our brigade in killed and wounded. Here we dug rifle pits and then awaited 
further events. That the fight would reopen we knew was inevitable, and there 
was apparent evidence that both armies were preparing for its renewal, but 
beyond some desultory firing here and there, there was comparative quiet until 
about 1 p. m. when the silence was broken by the crasli of artillery firing which 
opened on each side with a terrific roai-. This was kept up without apjjreciable 
diminution on either .side until about 2.30 p. m. when our own guns gradually 
slackened their fire, though that of the enemy continued in full volume until 
about 4 p. m. when it also diminished in volume and we saw their inlantr\- 
deploying by their left, a little to the right of our own front, and we realized 
another struggle was at hand. As tliey came from the cover of the trees and 
secured proper frontage, their lines moved slowly forward, and then we saw 
line after line developed until the charging column under Pickett was formed 
and moving rapidly upon our lines. Then it was our guns awoke to new life. 
as it were, and reopened vigorously from all sides upon tlie devoted column 
but, as you know, great as was the havocs wrought in its ranks by our guns its 
forward movement only ceased when it struck our Second Division immediatclv 
on the right of our own. I need speak no further of it than to say it was 
a gallant and magnificent charge, as gallantly and as magnificently met and 
repulsed. 

Upon this occasion, however, neither our regiment or brigade were directly 



308 Pennsylvania at Geftysfmry. 

eugaged, l)Ut as showing the close proximity ol' the lighting, I would mention 
that the skirmish line of the charging column extended across a portion of our 
own front and right, and likewise readied our lines, but coming on Avithout 
firing a shot, and our men, seeing no troops following them, immediately refrained 
from liring ujkju them : on the contrary, as their skirmishers reached our lines 
thev were jx-rmitted to enter unmolested, and our men after sliaring the con- 
tents of their haversacks with them, sent them to the rear as prisoners, even 
while the light was in desperate progress so near upon our right. Defeated and 
shattered, the fragments of Pickett's coin inns withdrew and the third day's light 
was ended. 

The next day, July 4, broke upon us bright and clear, and found all ready 
for a resumption of the contest if it was to come, but we early learned that the 
enemy was already in full retreat, altliough there was still considerable picket 
liring in progress, muttering of the storm of battle as it were, which had just 
jtassed. At last our men could take the rest they so sorely needed, after their 
long march from the Kappahanock and the wearing fatigue and desperate light- 
ing of the past three days, and we went into bivouac in position where we Avere; 
but not for long, for at 4 p. m., July 5, we took up our line of march from Cem- 
etery Ridge for Two Taverns where we again went into bivouac and remained 
until 5 a. m., July 7, when we marched for Taneytown, Maryland, which we 
reached at 11 p. m. July 8, 5 a. m., we left Taneytown ; our march for the day 
bringing us to a point about four miles from Frederick City. July 9, 5 a. m., we 
were again in motion and marching through Frederick City reached Burkittsville 
at 0.30 p. m. Halting but one hour, we resumed our march and passing through 
Crampton's Gap went into l)ivouac about 9. 30 p. m. at Kohrersville, Maryland. 

July 10, f) a. m. our column was again on the march, moving ri<i Keedysville, 
and passing over the old Antietam battle-field about 1.30 p. m. ; we went into 
bivouac at a XJoi^t about six miles from Williamsport. July 11, 6 a. m., we 
inarched for Jones' Cross Roads where we went into line of battle, expecting an 
attack by the enemy but none followed. July 12, 2 p. m. we moved forward about 
three-fourtlis of a mile from the enemy, where we again halted and threw up 
entrenchments, remaining in this position until 5 a. m., July 14, when our corps 
went into line of battle and moved ujmui the enemy's position, our line of battle 
being preceded by a skirmish line under command of Colonel Brooke, composed 
of the Fifty-third Pennsylvania, Second Delaware, Sixty-lourth New York of 
our own brigade, to which, for this sju-cMal duty, was added the Fifty-.seventh 
New York of our old Third Brigade and the Fifth New Hampshire of the First 
Brigade of our division. 

With our skirmish line deployed at one pa(;e interval, we moved upon the 
enemy's position, but tlicy had generally recrossed the Potomac and we fell in 
only with a strong rear guard near Falling "Waters with which, liowever, we 
had a sharp encounter before they could cross the river, in which several hun- 
dred of them were captured by us, after which we went into bivouac until .") 
a. m., July l.'>, when, there l>eiug none of the enemy north of the Potomac, we 
took up our line of march with our corjjs for Harper's Ferry, marching na Downs- 
ville and Sharp-sburg and at (» p. m. went into l)ivouac along the tow-path ol 
the canal, having marched all day without food. The next day we moved to 
Plea.sant Valley where our corps remained until (J a. m., .July Is, when we tcok 
up our march again for Hari)er's Ferry, at which point wc fonl(>d the Potomac 
and again found ourselves ui Virginia mo\in'j. .southward on tlu- cast side of 



Pennsylcania af (idliishnni. 301) 

the Jilue Kidge, wiiilt- the eiieiuy was m()\ iiifi on paralhl lines on tlie west side 
ol' the ridge. 

It seems a singular eo-incident, yet such are the Ikcts, tliat our corjis, then 
eomnianded by General Sumner, was the advance of the Army of the Potomac 
in its movement on Fredericksburg in '62, while our regiment was one of the 
brigade which led the corps, and was the first to enter Falmouth and a2)pear 
before Fredericksburg. Again, when the Army of the Potomac abandoned the 
front of Fredericksburg, our corps was the last to withdraw, while our regiment 
was one of the brigade Avhich was rear guard for the corps, and consequently 
the last to leave the front of Fredericksburg. And again, as our army turns 
its steps southward, following the enemy's retreating columns, our own regi- 
ment, together with a majority of our brigade, is in the skirmish line of the 
last line of battle which moved iipon the enemy north of the Potomac, and 
our regiment took part in the la.st action had with the enemy's rear guard and 
tired the last shots as closing the Gettysburg campaign. 

Drawn from memory and aided by memoranda made by me at the time I 
have given you as briefly as po.ssible. assuming it would be of interest, our 
movements from the day we started from Falmouth, .Tune 14, to meet the enemy 
at Gettysburg until the battle over, we had our Unal combat with them just 
one month after, on July 14, and the Getty.sburg campaign was past, fraught 
with all its influences upon the subsequent operations of the enemy. In com- 
mon with the other commands which had seen equal service, our regiment went 
into action at Gettysburg much reduced in numbers. 

Three companies numbering about one hundred, and under command ol 
Captain ]\Iintzer, were, during the battle, on duty at corps headquarters as i)ro- 
\-ost guard, and were engaged in tjuarding prisoners taken in the fight, subse- 
(juently about three thousand ot them being marched to Westmin.ster, Maryland, 
assisted V)y .some cavalry, all under command of Captain Mintzer. The other 
seven companies remained with the brigade, and taking active part in the battle 
numbering exactly one hundred and thirty-five otiicers and men, and were under 
the command of Lieutenant-Colonel McMichael ; a pitiful remnant of the gal- 
lant regiment which had left Camp Curtin nine hundred and twenty strong, 
less than two years before, but the difi'erence in numbers is easily understood 
when we refer to the previou.sly mentioned regimental reports of casualties in 
action, to which might well be added the numbers, and they were not a few, 
who died of sickness contracted in the service, and the large numbers in hos- 
pital, wounded or sick. Truly, our regimental rejwrt for the day was "All 
present or accounted for. "' Of the one hundred and thirty-five who entered 
the fight on the 2d of .Inly in line with the brigade, the los.ses were as follows: 

Killed. ^V(lU)ll^e<i. ('apturedur Missino. J'otal . 

Ofticers -- 11 - 11 

Fnlisted men 7 ")() (i (i9 

Totals 7 J57 Jl _8p 

Of the total niiml)er engaged : 

Our aggregate losses of all kinds equalled •">9x"(T per cent 

Our losses m killed and wounded '-'tV "" " 

Our losses in killed alone r)j2_ " ■• 

Our losses in captured and niissinir . 4,*o " '' 



310 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

Out ol'the one liniKheil and thirty-live wlio went into the light but fifty-five 
were left in line of battle under our regimental colors the next morning, but few 
as thev were Ihey were there in line of battle with their brigade and ready on the 
'M, to sustain the previous well-earned reputation of the gallant Fifty-third ; 
our regiment needs no eulogy at our hands, for what it achieved is written iu 
history. That it did its duty nobly and unflinchingly we very well know, but 
still some statistical facts in this connection may not prove uninteresting. 

Colonel William F. Fox, in his work upon losses sustained in battle, enu- 
merates forty-five regiments which, of all regiments serving in the armies of 
the United States during the war. suftered a loss each of two bundled or more 
iu killed in action or ilied of wounds received iu action. The Fifty-third Penn- 
sylvania is one of the forty-live. Out of the forty-five regiments enumerated, 
three were members during the war of our own Fourth Brigade viz : The One 
liundred and forty-eighth Pennsylvania, One hundred and-forty-fifth Pennsyl- 
vania and Fifty-third Pennsylvania, the fiist mentioned under command as 
colonel of the present Governor of our State, General James A. Beaver, whose 
regiment became attached to our brigade with the opening of the Wilderness 
campaign, while he himself had command of our brigade after the wounding 
of Colonel Brooke at Cold Harbor, and until he also was wounded at our head. Of 
the Ibrty-five regiments mentioned twelve of them belonged to our own corps, 
the Second, or more than twenty-six per cent. 

Again. Colonel Fox enumerates nine heavy artillery regiments which simi- 
larly suffered a loss each of two hundred or more iu killed iu action or died of 
wounds received in action. Of these one regiment, the Seventh New York, was 
a member of our brigade, having been added to it during the Wilderness cam- 
paign of '(54 a few days after it had seen its first engagement; while five out ol 
the nine regiments, or more than fifty-five per cent., belonged to our corps. 

By the same authority, the infantry regiment which suftered the largest loss 
in killed of any infantry regiment in all our armies was the Fifth New Hamp- 
shire, of the First Brigade of our division, our near neighlwr in many alight 
and to who.se relief we went in the figlit on the "id of .July. 

From the statistics, therefore, the Fourth Brigade, First Division, Second Army 
Corps .seems tn have had a somewhat remarkable .service in its severity, not 
that I would arrogate for it or for our regiment, which was a member of it, a 
.soldierly rank higher, or claim for it a spirit more gallant than pertained to 
other commands, but simply that the exigencies of the service seems to have 
thrown it into the forefront, that it seems to have been its fortune to find its 
place as a rule in the thick of the fight, and these .statistics, .showing as they do, 
stamp our old Fourth ISrigade and with itilie Fifty-thiid Peniisyhania ascom- 
mands possessing reniarkal)le soldierly braveiy and fortitude. 

If this is regarded as regimental egotism, I simply invite tho.se wln) .so regard 
it to read and analyze the figures. Though 1 love my old regiment and old 
brigatle. yet mine are not the partial words of praise of one who was a member 
of them, nor words of exaggeration. They are deductions logically drawn from 
1 lie cold ninorseless figures after a lapse of more than twenty-five years. 1 
give tliem because the facts show the comjiany we were in, and nothing could 
more forcibly illustrate the Irnth that our regiment was em]>hatical]y in the 
front when we .see that it served shoulder to shoulder in the .same brigade, di- 
vision and corps with commands .so illustriously distingui.shed. and looking 
over all this, we naturally exi>erienee a warm glow of S()ldierly pride in our 




IPTOH, f.ETTYSOUHG. 



Pennsylvania at Getti/s/nm/. 311 

rt'giiiieiit which Ixjic its due sluuc of tlie burden of battle and served with such 
iK)l)U; and galhuit troops as we undoubtedly had in our old Second Corps, and 
iis leaviutj out this leeling, I believe to-day, that next to our lla<>, we love our 
old corps badge, the red trefoil. 

I remember a visit I once paid to our lirst brigade commander, Urigatlier- 
Oeueral William H. French, after he had been promoted, and was at the time 
in command of a division in another part of the Army of the Potomac. 

As I was about to leave, he drew from his pocket-book a simple red trefoil, 
one cut from red flannel and as issued at the time by tlm government, with the 
remark, "When f feel homesick and downhearted 1 take this out and look at 
it, and it cheers me up." We old soldiers undei stand tliat fedinji and proba- 
l)ly have the same lor it now. 

By the country at large of course, the Fifty -thirtl Pennsylvania Veteran Vol- 
unteers may be regarded simply as one of the numerous regiments which were 
organized and sent to the iront during the war by the State of Pennsylvania, 
served the purpose of its creation and was then disbanded. To us however it 
hiis more stirring as well as more tender memories, and is still a living reality, 
binding us together in the warm affection of comradeship aiul will be while 
life itself is left to any of us. 

It is this feeling of affection for our old regiment which gives us our deep 
appreciation for this memorial, for next to the soldier's personal consciousness 
that he and his comrades fulfllled their duty on the lield is its public acknowl- 
edgement, and this crowning gratification of the soldier is given us in this monu- 
ment, and when we once again leave the field of Gettysburg we may do .so with 
the feeling that our work here is indeed completed, but with the added assur- 
auce that the Fifty-third Pennsylvania, vigilant in its country's cause, will 
hereafter, even when we may all be sleeping the long sleep, still maintain on 
permanent post a sentinel to represent the Fifty-third Pennsylvania Veteran 
Volunteers, and by his silent presence keep alive the same self-sacriticing pa- 
triotism it displayed. , 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

56™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September ii, 1889 
ADDRESS OF BREVET BRIG.-GEN. J. WILLIAM HOFMANN, U. .S. VOLS. 

SURVIVING comrades of the Fifty-sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran 
Volunteers — I greet 30U: — We are assembled to-day to dedicate the 
memorial erected by the liberality of our great Commonwealth in appre- 
ciation of your services upon this field. The memorial marks the ground 
whereon you stood, twenty-five years ago, as the representative of her infantry 
regiments, at the opening of the great battle which here took place, one of 
the long series of battles fought during the great struggle for the preservation 
and perpetuation of the Union, and its beneficent government, under which its 
people had made such rapid aud unprecedented progress in all that tends to the 
elevation and happiness of man. In fact a struggle the most momentous and 
far-reaching in its character aud in its results, of any that ever devolved upon 



312 Pennsylvania at GeUysJmrg. 

mail to (It'tennino. A strugjiU' duiiiig which the patriotism aud devotion of 
ilie i)eoj)U' ot thi' Com inon wealth ol' Pennsylvania to the eause of ]il)erty and 
luimau freedom, was voiced in her contriluitions of treasure, and the lives and 
services of her sons. 

Owing to her geographical position at the lime of the adoption of the Cousti 
tntion of the United States — having six .states upon her right, and six upon her 
left, Pennsylvania wa.s accorded the lionorarv' title of the "Keystone State" of 
the federal arch. And, although no longer, geographically, the center of the 
arch, which for many years has spanned the Continent from ocean to ocean, 
yet when the grand arch was trembling under the measured tramp of a mighty 
host organized and marshalled for its destruction, then the <jrand old Common- 
wealth proved worthy of the mi.ssion implied by her title. 

The memorial marks the ground whereou you stood on the morning of July 
1. 1863. ere the sun had reached the meridian. It .stands within forty miles 
of the Capital of our State, to which point you came from its most distant parts 
in response to the call of the President of the United States for volunteers, for 
three-years' service in the field, in defense of our country's flag. There, in 
Camp ("urtin — .so iiamed in honor of the patriotic, zealous aud efficient War 
(lovernor — you were organized into a regiment, and instructed in the duties of 
tlie .soldier. Thus the regiment was pre-eminently a State organization, and as 
a unit, was without any local ties, a fitting circumstance to jjrecede its distin- 
guished services upon this memorable field. And no less was it iire-eminently, 
a volunteer organization. 

On the morning of March 8, ls6'i. the regiment, under command of Colonel 
S. A. Meredith, moved from Camp Curtin with nearly eight hundred officeis 
and men destined for the Army of the I'otomac, then at Washington. Sixteen 
mouths of active field service and the sun of that July morning shone down upon 
the regiment as it came upon this field with its eft'ective force reduced to seven- 
teen ofiicers. t wo hundred and thirty-five men; and trire is it also, that the regi- 
ment was back withiij the borders of our State, and within so short a distance 
from the camp of rendezvous, and that the great .struggle in which it had been 
engaged was still undecided. If we follow the track of the regiment's march, 
wc shall lind. however, that it had already' marched a great distance, that it 
had already cro.ssed many fields of battle, had moved over roads covered with 
stifling dust, or bottomless mud. through exhausting heat, through biting cold, 
through rain and hail and .snow, had forded rapid streams aud crossed rugged 
mountains. The exposure incidental to these marches had brought many a 
stout-liearted comrade to the hospital vai. to rise only after months of agonizing 
])ain, and ])erhaps with health irreparably shattered, or there to end his days 
upon earth. .Vdd to the.se cases, the long list of comrades killed and wounded 
in the 1)attles, and the absent at that morning's loll-call are accounted for. 

Moving liv rail, that factor so essential losucH'e.ss in modern warfare, the regi- 
ment arrived at "Washington on the morning of March 9, und encamped on 
Kalorama Heights. Then moved to Fort Albany, west of the Potomac river. 
Ai)ril 1, it moved )i\ Imnl in the ■Luwcr Potomac"" to guard government stores 
lc(t there by Hooker's Division, which had gone to the Penin.sula. On the 
"Mth. the regiment was (tarried to Aquia Landing, then the northern ter- 
niiuus of the Richmond and Wa.shingtoii railroad. There the regiment was 
engaged for some; tinu? in repairing tli<' wharf, rrbiiildiiig the railroad, cut- 
ting wood :ind ntlicr uncongenial duties: iinroiigcnial. liccause at the time 



Fennsi/luania at Gettyshitry. 313 

deeiucd to be unsold ieiy dniics. Long l)et'ore the war liad t)Cfn ))ronglit 
to a close, it was learned that destroying and rebuilding railroads, and the gen- 
eral use of the pick, and the spade, and th«' axe, formed in I'act a legitimate 
part of a soldier's duty. May 7, found the regiment at the Rappahannock riven-, 
engaged in guarding the railroad back to the Potomac creek bridge. It was 
now assigned to the brigade commanded by General A. Doubleday, and known 
as the Second Brigade, FMrst Division (King's), First Corps (McDowell's). On 
the afternoon of August 9, the regiment joined the lirigade column, crossed the 
Rappahannock at Fredericksburg, and entered upon the march that led to Cedar 
Mountain, tlience to the battle-fields of Rappahannock Station, to Sulphur Spring, 
then to Gainesville, where Captain Corman gave his life to his country, and 
where Colonel Meredith was severeh' wounded, and for his gallantry here was 
promoted to brigadier-general. — Then to Grovetou, and to Manassas, each of 
these in turn claiming a sanguinary tribute from the regiment. Then recrossing 
the Potomac river at Washington, the march led through Frederick city and 
Middletown to the foot of the eastern slope of the South Mountain, about a mile 
north of Turner's Gap, the crest of the mountain at the time glittering with the 
arms of the enemj'. A gallant ascent of the steep slope, in line of battle, a four 
hours* fight, and the victory was won. Under cover of the night the enemy 
retreated. Early in the battle. General Hatch, commanding the division, was 
wounded, and was succeeded by General Doubleday, the command of the brigade 
then devolved upon your lieutenant-colonel, and remained in mj' hands until 
the early part of November ; the command of the regiment devolved upon Cap- 
tain F. "Williams. This, as an index of the severity of our losses in a campaign 
then extending not over five weeks, for, on leaving Fredericksburg my name 
stood only number seven in the order of seniority upon the brigade roster. I 
pause a moment in the narration t^ pay a well-earned tribute to two officers 
■whom it became necessary now to detach from their company for duty upon 
my improvised staff, Lieiitenant (now Colonel) Laycock and his friend Lieu- 
tenant Samuel Healy. Although new to the duties tliat now devolved upon 
them, the euerg}% zeal and efficiency with which these were performed, con- 
firmed my admiration for them, awakening in the night battles at Gainesville 
and at Gros'eton, and which was never le.sseued thereafter, Avhether, in many 
changes which followed, they served in the line or on the staff Next morning, 
September 15, the road was again open for the march that now led to the field, 
memorable in the annals of warfare, as the battle of Antietam. A battle of 
charges and counter-charges, but a victory .so fruitful in its results. The enemy 
was driven back into Virginia, IMaryland was saved to the Union. The intense 
anxiety ol the people of the North fcjr the safety of the National Capital was re- 
lieved. President Lincoln utilized the victory as a fulcrum for his pen, and 
sent fortli the edict, one of the mightiest, most just, most humane of any issued 
l)y a ruler during historic times — the edict that expunged for all time the word 
slave from our statute book. Thenceforth all who .stood beneath our country's 
flag stood there as freemen. Such were the results that were wrought by the 
victory achieved by the valor of the Army of the Potomac upon the field of 
Antietam. 

October 30 found the regiment again cro.ssingthe Potomac river into Virginia, 
now by a pontoon bridge laid at Berlin. The Army of Northern Virginia, under 
General Lee, was retreating southward in the valley of the Shenandoah. The 
Army of the Potomac, under General McClellan, was pursuing in the Loudoun 



314 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

valley. The First Corps, under General lieynolds, with our division, under 
General i)oul)leda\, leading, was in the advance; our cavalry, under General 
rie;u<onton, was in Iront, engaged in driving the enemy's cavalry, under General 
Stuart, into the gai)s of the mountain that forms the wall dividing the two val- 
leys. When in Iront of Philomont, General Pleasonton requestetl an infantry 
support. Our brigade was honored by being detailed for this special duty, and 
on the morning of November 2, it reported to him while in front of the town 
of Union, and at the time sharply engaged with the enemy. In conformity 
with his directions, the brigade was formed in line of battle, and then advanced 
steadily from point to point throughout the day, and steadily the enemy wa.s 
dri%en back. The next day the brigade held the ground that had V)een gained 
and the cavalry, aided by the First New Hampshire Battery, then forming part 
of the brigade, drove the enemy through Upperville into Ashby'sGap. General 
Pleasonton, in his note from Fpperville, on the evening of November 3, in- 
forming General Doubleday that he will not need the services of the brigade 
any further, pays a well-earned tribute to your gallantry on the preceding day. 
Gratifying to the soldier, as is the commendation of his commanding officer, 
no less so is that extorted from his enemy. Since the close of the war, a 
number of those who were against you in battle on that day, have placed them- 
selves upon record, freely according your gallantry and success in your several 
attacks upon them. 

Rejoining the division at Rectortown on the evening of the 5th, the march 
led to Warrenton, where General McClellan was relieved, and General Burn- 
side was placed in command of the army. Then the march led back to Aquia 
Landing. Then* to the battle-field of Fredericksburg; and after the sanguinary 
repulse the army met with on the right — to the winter's camp, near Belle Plain 
on the Potomac river, where it rested till the close of April. During the battle 
of Fredericksburg the division, under General Doubleday, was in line along the 
Bowling Green road, on the left of the army, ready to advance. When the 
army withdrew on the night of the loth Decem]>er, although you were not the 
extreme left, you had gained the confidence of General Reynolds so fully, that, 
by his direct order, you were detailed to cover the withdrawing of the troops 
from that part of the field, and were the last regiment to leave it. 

The only incident of special note during the camp life that now followed be- 
ing that known, and vividly remembered by those who participated, as the 
'• mud march," and another change in commanding officers: General Hooker 
assuming command of the army. General Wadsworth that of the division and 
General Cutler that of the brigade. Then followed the second Fredericksburg. 
Then Chancellorsville, with humiliating and depressing results. Then the regi- 
ment rested again in camp for a few weeks, now near the Fitzhugh House on the 
left bank of the Rappahannock, a few miles below Fredericksburg. 

I.ate on the afternoon of .lune 7, the regiment entered upon the Gettysburg 
campaign; again honored by special detail. Some days previous our cavalry 
had gone on a reconnaissance in force in the direction of Culpeper. An infantry 
force was now sent to its support. The Sixth and the Eleventh corps each 
furnished a brigade. The First Corps furnishing a provisional brigade, consist- 
ing of the Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania and the Seventh Regiment and two com- 
panies of the Second Regiment Wisconsin Volunteers. The whole of the in- 
fantry assembled, about midnight, at Hartwood Church, under command of 
General Russell of the Sixth Corps. On the morniug of the yth the detail from 



Pennst/lvania at Getfffsburg. 315 

ilie First Corps moved to Kelly's I'dkI oh the KaiUKiluinnock river, and on the 
morning of the 9th, when the cavalry under General Ciregg had crossed, forded 
the river and moved to near Brandy Station. At noon the Fifty-sixth was de- 
tached, and moved to Beverly Ford, where it covered the recrossing of a part of 
(jllir (!avalry, the regiment recrossing at dark, and being the last of our troops 
to recross at that point. On the i;>tli the regiment rejoined the brigade at 
Bealton, the whole division having arrived there. Then the manth led to Cen- 
terville. then to near Leesburg. 

The army under General Lee having again cro.ssed the Potomac, wa.s now 
moving on Harrisburg, via the C'unil)erland Valley. 

The Army of tlie Potomac pursued, the First Corps cros.sed the river, over a 
pontoon bridge laid at the mouth of Goose creek, on the 25th, then moved imi 
Jefferson, the Catoctin Mountain and Middletown, to F'rederick City. General 
Hooker having asked to be relieved from the command of the army, General 
Meade, then commanding the Fifth Corps, was assigned to the command and 
entered upon his new duties by issuing tlie following modestly-worded, .soldierly 
and effective order : 

"By direction of the President ef the United States I hereby assume command of the 
Army of the Potomac. As a soldier, in obeying tliis order, an order totally unexpected 
and unsolicited, I have no promises or pledges to make. The country looks to this army 
to relieve it from the devastation and disgrace of a hostile mvasion. Whatever fatigue 
and sacrifices we may be called on to undergo, let us have In view constantly the mag- 
nitude of the interests involved, and let each man determine to do his duty, leaving to 
an ail-controlling Providence the decision of the contest. It is with just diffidence that 
I relieve in the command of this army an eminent and accomplished soldier,whose name 
must ever appear conspicuous in the history of its achievements, but I rely upon the 
hearty support of my companions in arms to assist me in the discharge of the duties of 
the important trust that has been confided to me.'" George G. Meade. 

Major Oeneral Ctrmmandmg. 

On the 29th our brigade was detailed for duty as the rear-guard of the corps. 
The regiment — which had been on picket duty during tlie night under Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Osborn, as gallant an officer as ever drew sword, and as efficient 
as he was gallant — came in about 5 a. m., and was soon formed in column ready 
for the march. But a long wagon train was passing, and there was a tedious 
delay; it was after 9 a. m. when the column was put in motion, and then kept 
in rapid motion, with but two short rests, until after midnight, when it went 
into bivouac near the southern end of Emmitsburg. At a very early hour on 
the 30th, it was in line of battle in front of the town, and at noon went into 
bivouac on the south bank of Marsh creek, near where it crossed by the bridge 
on the Emmitsburg-Gettysburg pike. During the afternoon there was the 
usual bi-monthly muster for pay, then a formation in line of battle to resist an 
apprehended attack by the enemy, then came tattoo with its roll call. How 
many brave comrades answered that roll call "Here" for the last time ! Then 
came" taps," and the regiment slept, slept all the more soundly because of the 
brief, early broken rest of the previous night; and all unconscious of the mo- 
mentous events that the morrow had in store for it. 

On the morning of .July 1, the brigade moved out at about 8 o'clock, crossed 
the creek by the bridge on the pike, and moved on Gettysburg, distant about 
four miles. The Seveuty-si.xth New York led the brigade, the Fifty-sixth Penn- 
.sylvania followed, and was itself followed by the One hundred and forty-sev- 
enth New York, Ninety-fifth New York and the Fourteenth Brooklyn. The 
Seventh Indiana w.as detailed for special duty. In rear of the brigade followed 



31 G Pennsylvania at Getfi/slnirg. 

Hall's battery. In front of the brigade rode General Cutler and stalf, in front 
ofhiiu, General AVadsworth and staff, in the advance rode General Keynolds 
and staff". At the farm, now known historically as theCodori Farm, the column 
left the pike, inclined to the left andcros.sed the Seminary Ridge near the sem- 
inary building, descended into the swale in front of it; then the Seventy-sixth, 
Fifty -sixth and One hundred and forty-seventh were moved north across the 
Getty.sburg-Chambersburg pike, and beyond the railroad grading, and were 
then IbrTned in line of battle near the gentle elevation upon which you now 
stand. The regiment was then moved forward a. short distance. As the hori- 
zon opened, a line of battle was seen approaching to the right and front. Gen- 
eral Cutler being in your immediate rear, having decided that the line was a 
line of the enemy, you received the command to aim to the "right oblique,"" 
and then the command to "tire,"' when you delivered the opening tire of the in- 
fantry, in the great and decisive battle of Gettysburg. Thus the honor of hav- 
ing delivered the opening fire of the infantry, belongs to no individual officer 
or man, but to the Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers as a unit. And it is 
doing you but simple justice to state, as an indication of the coolness and steadi- 
ness of the officers and men nnder the exciting circumstances, that a more 
solid volley, "by battalion," has seldom been heard. General Cutler, a few 
months afterwaids, deemed the event so well worthy ot note, that he Avrote to 
Governor Curtin, setting forth thefac-t that it was the Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania 
"Volunteers that opened the battle, and reciuested him to have it so recorded in 
the archives of the Commonwealth as an act of justice to the regiment. And 
so it has been done, and so it now appears to your honor, in the enduring 
bronze memorial now before you. The event cannot be relegated to the chap- 
ter of accidents. You were not the leading regiment that morning, the result 
was owing in fact to long persistent eliorts, to cheerful compliance with all 
orders, many involving great sacrifice to personal comforts. Comrades, this it 
was, constant cheerful obedience to all orders, that enabled you to give prompt 
response to commands when the instant for action arrived; and it has there- 
lore, been deemed proper that the event should be, as stated, so recorded in the 
enduring bronze, together with the long list of battles, before and since the bat- 
tle of Gettysburg, in which the regiment bore an honorable part. There is also 
recorded in the bronze the fact that the regiment re-enlisted and became a vet- 
eran regiment serving until the close of the war. 

Tlie severe losses sustained on this ground by the three regiments, caused 
General Wadsworth to order them to retire for a time. General Cutler then 
moved the Fifty-sixth and the Seventy-sixth to the railroad embankment east 
of the Seminary Kidge; but when they were rejoined there by the One hundred 
and Ibrty-soventh, which had not received the order at once, ))y reason of Col- 
onel Miller being wounded, and had held on to its ground heroically, as the 
other two regiments had done until the order was received — the; three regi*- 
ments were at once moved forward and again occupied their original ground. 
In the meantime, the Fourteenth Brooklyn and the Ninety -fifth New York, 
which had been detached after having crossed the Seminary Kidge, and sent 
westward, under Colonel Fowler, to support Hall's battery which went into 
l)Osition near the ^NlcPher.son barn — being joined by the Sixth "Wisconsin under 
I.ieutcnaiit-Coloncl Dawes, of the First P.rigade, that had now arrived ujion 
the field— had caj>turod a large number of the enemy who had taken shelter in 
the railroad c\it upon their approach. The First Brigade, u])on its arrival. 



Pennsylvania at frcftysburg. 317 

charged into the woods south of the pike, ami iiui with a hrilliant success, 
capturing a general officer and a large part ol' his hrigadc. It i.i deserving of 
note to state that iu this first onset with the enemy, Wadsworth's Division, 
which consisted of only the iwo brigades, aiul also the division of Heth's with 
which it was then engaged, both h)st a greater i)ercentage, in killed and 
wounded than was sustained by the column of the enemy that made the charge 
on the afternoon of the tliird day of the battle, and which has comnuxnded so 
much attention as a grand exhibition of valor. Early in this onset an irre- 
parable loss had befallen us, the army and the country ! General Reynolds, 
then commanding the First, the Third, and the Eleventh Corps, constituting 
the left wing of the army, had fallen. Among those of the regiment who had 
fallen, was Lieutenant Gordon, who had earned his commission by brave and 
faithful service in the ranks. General Doubleday, our former brigade and divi- 
sion commander, now commanding the corp.s, directed the movements after the 
fall of Reynolds. Subsetiuently (General Howard arrived, and, by virtue of 
seniority, assumed command of the left wing of the army. A lull in the battle 
now followed. It lasted for over an hour. Additional forces of the enemy 
came from Cashtown on the west, from Carlisle on the north, and from York on 
the east. The Second and the Third Divisions of our corps also arrived, and, 
later, the Eleventh Corps. 

The three right regiments of Cutler's were now moved to the north end of 
the wood on Seminary Ridge, in front of which was a tield of grain in full ear. 
Here they became immediately engaged with Iverson's Brigade of Rodes' Di- 
vision. They were now soon joined by the Fourteenth and Ninety-tifth, and then 
supported on the right by Ba.xter's Brigade of Robin.sou's Division of our corps, 
and by joint action a large part of what was then left of Iverson's Brigade was 
then captured. The ammunition of Cutler's Brigade was now expended, and 
it was relieved by Paul's Brigade and moved to the east slope of the ridge, but 
while here, it was enfiladed by a battery that the enemy had placed in position 
on Oak Hill. The extreme right of our corps was at this time gallantly held 
by the Ninetieth Pennsylvania of Baxter's Brigade. The Eleventh Corps wa.s 
then formed nearly at right angles with the general direction of oui (iorps; but 
an opening was left on our right, and into this the enemy i)enetrated, and our 
line then became untenable. Then came the order to retire, l)ut it came late, 
so that while passing through the thronged streets of the town the brigade lost 
heavily by capture. It reformed in the cemetery, and was there rejoined by 
the Seventh Indiana. But that regiment was at once sent to Culp's Hill, by 
order of General Hancock, who had been sent forward by General Meade to as- 
sume command of all the forces then present; there that regiment, under Col- 
onel Grover, rendered invaluable services iu capturing a scouting party, or 
rather a part of it, for some escaped and the report which these made influenced 
General Ewell in postponing the attack on the hill which he had proposed to 
make that evening, until next day. Never was delay more fatal ! A short 
time sufficed to reinforce the thin line of the Seventh by the remnant left of 
Wadsworth's Division, and then came shortly, a division of the Twelfth Corps, 
having upon its battle flag a silver star. And when Ewell's Corps made the 
attack on the following evening, you had the honor of aiding in inflicting the 
sanguinary repulse that it then met with. During the afternoon of that day 
the enemy had made a vigorous and persistent attack on the left of our lines 
then resting far out iu front of the Round Tops, and at flrst gained some ground. 



318 ]'('unsiih:ani(t nf (rcffi/shitrg. 

l»ressiii<i our tioojis haok to the geueral liiu'; but there they met with a san- 
guinary repulse. On the afternoon of the third day of the battle, the enemy 
opened a cannonade from his guns stationed along the Seminary Ridge, and di- 
reeted against our troojis holding the Cemetery Ridge, hoping to shake the morale 
of our troops, then penetrate there and cut our army in two ! The cannonade 
lasted for two hours, during which th«> very hills seemed to be shaken by tlie 
roar of the two liundred guns that were brought into action. But the can- 
nonade failed in its object; tlie morale of our troops remained unshaken, as tho 
enemy discovered, when, allowing his overheated guns to cool, he launched 
forth that great column of infantry in which he had placed his last hopes for 
success, and he saw that great column torn, broken and shattered to pieces. 
Thus ripon its left, upon its right, and at the center, the army had in turn been 
attacked; and at the left, at the right and at the center, it had inflicted a san- 
guinary repulse u}X)n the assaihmt. and had thus proved itself worthy of tlie 
contidenee that was repo.sed in it l)y its new commander, the illustrious Meade. 

Late on tlie afternoon of this day. the Fifty-sixth, Seventh and the Ninety- 
lifth. were detached from the lirigade and moved to the foot of the eastern slope 
of Cemetery Ridge, to support the batteries upon the crest, and within the 
cemetery grounds, and remained in sujjport of these during the night. Next 
morning (July 4) the Fifty-sixth and the Seventh were moved through tlur 
town to the northeast angle, with the view ol bringing in the wounded that 
might be found on the tield in that direction; but after some delay after having 
arrived at that point, the movement was suspended, and the two regiments re- 
joined the iirigade then still upon Gulp's Hill. 

On the morning of the oth, the ))rigade moved to tlie western slojie of Ceme- 
tery Ridge, and bivouacked near the ground charged over by the enemy on the 
afternoon of the third day of the battle, and remained there trntil the morning of 
the (ith. The field return of the regiment for that day, shows "present for 
duty" eleven othcers, one hundred and eleven men. Of the losses, one hun- 
dred and twenty o(!cnrred on the tirst day of the battle. A terrible loss, but 
the victory wiis won 1 And the Army of Northern Virginia tinder General Ivce, 
was again inovitig rapidly for the Potomac river. 

Comrades, the great lo.s.ses sustained on this lield by the Army of the Potomac, 
and liy its adversary, would alone cause tlic battle of (Jettysburg to rank as one 
of the greatest ])attles of the world; but l)eyond. are potent rea.sons why it will 
be .so classed. 

It cnlminated in defeating a great and powerful host, one of a number that 
had been organized and marshalled to destroy that, which in the language of 
the immortal Lincoln was — and let us thank Providence that it .still is — "a gov- 
ernment of the people, for the people and by the people," it was upon this lield 
that that great host which you had met on so many fields of battle, was defeated 
and turned back n^jon the march that thereafter ever led .southward; and al- 
though at times .standing at ])ay. and olwtinately lighting, still, ever thereafter 
march<'d southward, until at Apjiomattox it finally surrendered its coloi-s to the 
grand, undaunted, indestructible Army of the Potomac. 

Comrades, when the grand master of the art of warfare had carried his army 
to the foot of the Pyramids, and was surrounded by an active, vigilant foe, de- 
siring to animate his troops to renewed deeds of valor in the impending ])attle. 
he turned to them, and. pointing to th<> Pyramids, exclaimed. "Soldiers ! Fortr 
<enturies are looking down upon y<iu I " (.'omrades, no voice calls ui>on you 




fHOTO. BV W. M. TIPTON, GETTYSBURG 



Pennsylvania at (rcftysburg. 319 

to-day for ront^wed deeds ol' vulor ! Your worlv is done, your arms are staeked. 
and yonr battle flag, rent and torn so olt by shot and shell, is I'uiled. Ten 
times forty centuries will not obliterate from the pages of the world's history 
the deeds of valor which you and your comrades of the Army of the Potomac per- 
formed on the many battle-fields whose names cluster around that of Gettysburg. 
But liark ! There comes a voice, softly, calling to you ! It comes from yon- 
der slope where victory on high tenders the wreath ol' laurel. It comes from 
the many battle-fields that border the Potomac, the ]iapi)aliannock, the Kapi- 
dan, the North Anna, the Totojjotomoj', the Chickahomiuy, the James and the 
Appomattox rivers. It comes from the graves of comrades who fought at your 
aide, and who, while gallantly fighting, fell. It asks a kind recognition at 
this hour for those who sleep in a patriot-soldier's grave I Comrades, in appre- 
ciation of their gallant deeds, in the ai>preciation ol the .saeiufice whicli they 
made, and all that these hav(> brought to their surviving comrades and to all who 
dwell in the land, let us respond by embalming their memory .sacredly within 
our hearts. And let us thank Providence, that in taking a retrospective view 
from this field to-day, there comes, irresistibly, the conviction, that the great 
and incomputable exiienditure of treasure and of life, and, incidentally, the un- 
told suflering and distress extending far beyond the lines where the hosts were 
contending, that the sacrifice has not been in vain; that the victory will redound 
to the happiness of millions who will follow us in the distant future; that al- 
ready a quarter of a century has passed since the la.st Confederate banner dis- 
appeared from the land; that upon this very field the survivors of the Army of 
the Potomac have extended, in amity, the fraternal hand to those wlio were 
their adversaries on so many fields of battle: that again the llag of the Republic, 
with its union glittering with an intensified luster, waves unchallenged and 
gracefullj', overall the land, from the i)ine-crested hills of Maine southward to 
the Rio Grande, and from the Atlantic ocean westward 1o the Golden Gate, the 
symbol of a free and reunited people. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

57'^" REGIMENT INFANTRY 

.Sp:i'Tember i i, 1889 

ADDRESS OF CAPTAIN E. C. STROUSS 

(COMRADES : — The men composing the Fifty -seventh Regiment Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers assembled in skeleton companies at Camp Curtin at 
; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, during the autumn months of 1861. These 
companies receiving recruits from time to time, were, about the middle 
of November, merged into the Fifty-seventh Regiment. The men of the differ- 
ent companies were principally from the following counties of the state, viz : 

Company A, Susquehanna and Wyoming; Company B and C, Mercer; Com- 
pany D, Bradford and Tioga; Company E, Mercer and .\llegheny; Company 
F, Mercer; Company G, Bradford; Company I, Mercer and Venango; Company 
K, Crawlbrd. 

The original field, staft'and line otticersof the regiment were as follows: 
Colonel, William Maxwell, of Mercer; Lieutenant-Colonel, Elhanon W. 
Woods, of Mercer; Major, Jeremiah Gulp, of Bradford; Adjutant, William B. 



320 Pennsi/Ivania at Gettysburg. 

Keeper, of Allegheny; Quartermuster, Horace Williston, of iiradford; Surgeon, 
Jonas \V. Lyman, of Clinton; Assistant Surgeon, A. W. Fisher, of Xorthumher- 
land; Chaplain, "William F. McAdam, of Mercer. 

The company commanders were: Company A, Captain Peter Sides; B, Cap- 
tain Samuel C. Simonton; C, Captain Jerome B. Hoagland; D, Captain Hiram 
\V. Caulking; E, Captain James B. Moore; F, Captain Kalph Maxwell; G, 
Captain George S. Peck; H, Captain John Grittin; I, Cai)tain Thomas S. Stro- 
liecker; K. Captain Cornelius S. Chase. Non-commissioned stafi': Sergeant- 
Major William Wert Chase; Hospital-Steward William Bollinger; Quarter- 
mxster-Sergeant George Snell; Commi.ssary -Sergeant John H. Rodgers. The 
original .strength of the regiment was almost eight hundred and tifty, including 
officers and men. 

About the 1st of December, the regiment received its arms. Companies 
A and K had the Belgian rifle, the other companies the Harper's Ferry muskets. 
These were exchanged about the 1st of January, 186'2, for the Austrian rifles. 
The latter were discarded in August, 186;>, for the Springtield rifled muskets, 
which remained the arm of the regiment until the clo.se of the war. 

On the afternoon of Saturday, December 14, the regiment received its coloi-s, 
with appropriate ceremonies, from the hands of Governor Curtin, and was then 
marched to the railroad near camp, where it boarded the empty freight cars 
en route for Washington, D. C. The next day we were in Baltimore where we 
were well fed by the '" Union Relief Association '' of tliat city. During the fol- 
lowing night we arrived at Washington, where we were quartered at the large 
building known as the "'Soldiers' Retreat, "' adjoining the Baltimore and Ohio 
railroad depot. The next day, after receiving a sufficient number of "Sibley 
tents,'' the regiment was marched to a point about a mile northeast of the 
capital, where it encamped near the toll gate on the old Bladensburg road. 
While we remained in the camp we formed a part of the Provisional Brigade 
commanded by General Silas Casey. In February. 1862, we moved across the 
Potomac, and encamped near Fort Lyon, about two miles southwest of Alex- 
andria, Virginia. While here we were assigned to .Tameson's Brigade of 
Heintzelman's Division. On March 8, 1862, by order of President Lincoln, the 
formaticjn of "' Army Corps " was adopted. General Hcintzelman was assigned 
to the command of the Third Corps. He was succeeded in command of his di- 
vision (the Third) by General C. S. Hamilton. The First and Second Divisions 
were commanded by General Fitz .John Porter and Josej)!! I looker respectively. 
The comix)sition of Hamilton's Division was as follows: 

First Brigade, General C. D. .Tameson, Fifty-seventh, Sixty-third and One 
hundred and fifth, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and Eighty-Seventh New York 
Volunteers. Second Brigade, General D. B, Birney, Third and Fourth Maine 
Volunteers, Thirty-eighth and Fortieth New York Volunteei-s. Third Brigade, 
General H. G. Berry, Thirty-seventh New York Volunteers, Second, Third and 
Fifth Michigan Volunteers. The artillery of the division consisted of the fol- 
lowing batteries: Thompson's Battery G, Second United States Artillery; 
Beam's Battery B, New Jersey Artillery, and Randoljjh's Battery E, I'irst 
Rhode Island Artillery. Colonel Maxwell of the Fifty-seventh resigned JMarch 
10, 1862, and was succeeded by Colonel Cluules T. Campbell, formerly colonel 
of the First Pennsylvania Artillery. On March 17, Hamilton's Division began 
toembark for the Peninsula. The Fifty-.seventh marched to .Mexandria on that 
day, but as the transports were not all ready we passed the night on the wliarves 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 321 

at that place, and next morning got on hoard the steamer " Kennebec," on which 
was also a part of the One hnndred and fifth Pennsylvania, and steamed down 
the Potomac. The next afternoon we landed at Fortress Monroe durinji a rain 
storm. For several days we were quartered in the lofts of some cavalry she<ls, 
after which we went into oamj) near the burned town of Hampton. Here for 
two weeks we were abundantly exercised in drill, inspections and reviews. 

On the morning of April 4, we struck tents, and startetl towards Yorktown, 
Va., arriving before that place on the afternoon of April 5. The first picket 
duty of the regiment was performed by companies A and K, on the night of the 
6th. On the left of the line, where Company K Avas stationed, the enemj' opened 
fire on the morning of the 7th. Their fire was returned witli good effect, as they 
were seen carrying off several bodies, while on our side there were no casual- 
ties. While the regiment was on picket near the same place, a few days later, 
we were fired on l»y a piece of the enemy's artillery from a small fort in our 
front. One of their shells exploded near a group of our men, killing one in- 
stantly. His name was George Varrick, of Company G. He was the first man 
killed in the regiment. The first skirmish the regiment had witli the enemy 
occurred at Palmentary's peach orchard near the Warwick road on the after- 
noon of April 11. The Sixty-third Pennsylvania was on picketand was fiercely 
attacked by the enemy, when the rest of our brigade was ordered out in sup- 
port. The Fifty-seventh formed line in the edge of the woods, behind a rail 
fence, and soon became briskly engaged with the enemy. Some of our artil- 
lery also opened fire, and for a while considerable noise was made. The rebels 
were driven back to their works and theaftair was soon over. In this skirmish 
four men of the Fifty-seventh were wounded, one of them dying a few days 
afterward. We were kept busy while at Yorktown, constructing earthworks 
and roads, picketing and skirmishing with the enemy. Out of the thirty days 
we were in front of the place it rained at least twenty. The inclement weather 
together with the bad water we were obliged to drink while there, greatly in- 
crea,sed our sick list, so that we were obliged to leave forty-five sick in the 
hospitals when we left the place. 

General Hamilton who had protested against the excessive fatigue duty re- 
quired of his men, was relieved from command of the division on the 1st of May, 
and succeeded by the famous one-armed soldier General "Phil Keamy. " The 
enemy evacuated their stronghold at Yorktown on Saturday night. May 3, and 
the next morning Stoneman's Cavalry and Hooker's Division led the advance in 
the pursuit, followed by our division about 3 p. m. We marched to a point about 
three miles west of Yorktown, and then encamped for the night. It began to 
rain daring the night and continued to do so throughout the ne.xt day. We 
were up by daylight on the oth, and had finished our breakfast, expecting to 
move at once toward the front. We did not go forward, however, until 9 
o'clock a. m. Meanwhile we were watching the troops of all arms moving past 
us toward the front. When we did start we had gone but a short distance, 
when we found our march much obstructed by wagons stuck in the mud, and 
by the troops of Sumner's and Keyes' corps. Hooker, about 7 a. m.. became 
engaged with the enemy at Williamsburg, twelve miles west of Yorktown, and 
Kearny was striving hard to go to his assistance. Our brigade was the rear 
one in the division that day, and from the horrible condition of the roads it 
seemed as though we were making little or no progress toward the front. 
When within about two miles of the battle-field, we were ordered to throw oft" 

21 



322 ]*ennniilvanlo af Gi ffi/sftmr/. 

<>iirkuaps;uks whit-h wtrc lel"t in cliurj^c ()t''iu;ml> — aiul jjioceed U) the front 
wiih all ]>,)s.sil)le speed. Night was last approaching, and Hooker whose regi- 
ments were hard pressed, thought lie must yield totheeueiuy his hard fought 
lor position, when Kearn.v. with two of his brigades, arrived to supjxjrt him. 
Our brigiule arriving on the field, was formed in line near the enemy, the Fifty- 
seventh on the left of the Williamsburg road, with tlie One hundred and fifth 
Pennsylvania in its rear. The Eighty-seventh New York was formed on the 
right of the road, with the Sixty-third Pennsylvania in its rear. We were con- 
.siderably exposed t.> the tire of the enemy, but did not become actively en- 
gaged. At night we moved to the front line and bivouacked for the night 
among our dead and wounded comrades. This was the first real battle on the 
Peninsula, and the night spent on that field, in the cold rain, among the dead 
and dying, will long be remembered by the men of the Fifty-seventh, as one of 
the most harrowing in all its experience. 

The next morning it was found that the enemy had again retreated, when, at 
(laylight, we advanced and occupied the town, the Fifty-seventh going a mile 
or so in advance on picket. 

On May 7, we resumed the advance, marching a few miles each day, until 
about the loth when we reached Cumberland Landing in New Kent county. 
The wholearmy was concentrated here, but moved forward the day after our ar- 
rival. The place, which is on the Pamunkey river, was made a temporary de- 
pot of supplies, and the Fifty -.seventh remained here for a week doing guard 
duty aft<>r the re.st of the army had left. A new depot having been established 
further up the river, at White House Landing, the one at Cumberland was aban- 
doned, whereupon the Fifty-seventh moved on and rejoined the division at Bal- 
timore Cross Roads. 

On Sunday, May 2r>. we cro.ssed the Chickahominy at Bottom's bridge, thir- 
teen miles from Uichmond ria the Williamsburg stage road. 

On the afternoon and night of May 30 it rained in torrents, which raise<l the 
Chickahominy bank full and overflowed the low land on its borders. At this 
time the corps of Sumner. Franklin and Porter were on the left or east bank of 
the Chickahominy, and the corjxs of Heintzleman and Keyeswere on the right 
bank. (Casey's Division of Keyes' Cori)s was in advance, at a place called "'Seven 
Pines." on the Williainsliurg road, about seven miles from Richmond. The 
camp of the Fifty -seventh was about five miles in rear of this, in a pine grove 
near the Richmond and York River railroad. General Joseph E. Johnston who 
<-oinmanded the rel)€l forces, knowing that the swollen state of the Chickahominy 
would render it difficult or imi>ossible tor the right of our army to assi.st the 
left, concluded to attivck that portion on his side of the river. 

About 1 o'clock p. m.. of May :!1, he suddenly and fiercely attacked Casey's 
Division whi<li .soon was overpowered and driven from the field. The other 
divisionsof Keyes' Corps, and part of Kearny's Division, were next engaged. In 
the cam]) of the Fifty-seventh we were ordered to fall in. and after being told 
to remain in camp and hv. ready to move at a moment's notice, we stacked arms, 
broke ranks and lounged alx)ut wondering where we were to be sent. About 
2 ]). m, the regiment left camp, and marched through the woods for a short dis- 
tan(-e. until we rea(!hed the railroad, when we filed to the left, and .started up 
the mad on the double-(juick in the diriM-tion of Richmond. 

On reaching the battle-lichl we were ordered tosui)j)ort the Thinl Maine, who 
were in |K)si1ioii Ix-hinil a rail fence a few riids in mii fniiit. We were there 



Pviinsylvanid at G(ttijshHi<i. 323 

l)nt a i\-\\ iiiiimtcs wiieii we were ordered to j^o to the sui)iM)it oltlic First J.oiig 
Island (Sixty-seventh New York) wliicli Avas su])iMWed to he somewhere in the 
woods on the left of the AVilliamsburg road. Caj)tain Hassler of (ieneral 
Jamesons staff was to guide ns to the jilace. After donndering about in th<; 
woods, through swamps and over logs, further seareli (or the First I>ong Island 
was abandoned. 

The Fifty-seventh then fornred line on the edge ot'tlie woods, with the light 
resting near the road. We were soon attacked by the enemy who were thrice 
our strength, l)ut our little regiment made a gallant stan<l, and it was not until 
our colonel and major were stricken down, aiul we were outflanked on our right, 
that the reginu-nt retired from the field. 

Our lo.sses in this engivgement. which is known as the battle of "Fair Oaks."' 
were Major Gulp killed. Captain C. S. (Jha.sc wounded (died .Tune 17), Colonel 
Campbell severely wounded in arm and groin, and several other ofHeeis slightly 
^^ound(!d. Enlisteii men, ten killed, lin-ty-nine wounded and three missing. 

The battle was renewed next day when Hooker's Division and a partof Suni- 
uer's Corps dro\(' the enemy from the licld and occupied the ground in advance 
of Ca.sey's tormer position. From June 1 to .June 2o, the regiment was engaged 
in picketing and in (constructing roads and fortifications. 

On the morning of .June 35, the divisions of Kearny and Hooker were ordered 
to advance, which .soon brought on a brisk engagement, resulting in a loss on 
the Union side of about three hundred killed and wounded. The loss in the 
Fiftv-.seventh was two men wounded. Although the enemy was driven l>ack- 
ward for about a mile, in the evening our forces returned to the position occu- 
pied in the morning, by orders from army headquarters. This engagement is 
called "Oak Grove;'" the enemy call it "Kings School House.'" The regiment 
remained in the front line until June 28, when Avith the division it moved a 
mile to the rear, and occupied the breastw-orks at the crossing of the Williams- 
burg road, and near Savage Station. The day previous the enemy had defeated 
our right wing at Gaines' Mill, and the retreat to the James river had com- 
menced. 

In the evening one liundred and lifty rounds of ammunition was issued to 
each man, and at the same time, by order of General Kearny, every oliicer and. 
man of his division was ordered to wear on his cap a red patch about an inch 
and a half .square, in order that they might be readily di.stinguished in battle 
and on the march. This was the first distinctive badge worn in the Araiv of the 
Potomac. In April, 1863, when "Corps Badges" were adopted by that army, 
the badge a.ssigned to the Third Corps was in the shape of a diamond or lozenge. 
"Kearny's Old Division " continued to wear its " Ked Diamond " until the cJo!^ 
of the war. 

The swamps among which we had be(>n encamped at Fair Oaks, and the ba<l 
wat€r we were obliged to drink, had greatly increased our sick list, and many 
of the Fifty-seventh had died in the hospital since the 1st of June. When the 
retreat commenced the sick and convalescents were ordered to Savage Station, 
and from there were conducted, in charge of proper officers, to James river. Of 
this party the Fifty-seventh furnished at least a hundred. Of those who re- 
mained with the regiment and carried muskets, the number was about two 
hundred and many of the.se were barely able to stand the fatigue of the march- 
On the morning of the 29th the regiment was sent across a large field and into 
the wfMxls near the camp we had left the day previous. We remained here on 



324 ■ Pennsylvania at Getti/sbunj. 

picket until noon, when we moved back again and retook our position at the 
brejjst works. 

The rebel General Magruder was advancing with his division, and shells 
from his artillery were bursting near us. About 1 o'clock p. ra., we moved a 
short distance to the rear, and formed line in a large field, and soon after we 
took a road leading through the woods, and were on our way to White Oak 
Swamp, which we crossed at Brackett's Ford. General J. C. Kobiuson had 
command of our brigade, succeeding General Jameson, who was injured by the 
falling of his horse at Fair Oaks. General Jameson died at his home in Maine 
in November following. Having crossed the White Oak Swamp, we arrived 
about 10 p. m. on the ground where, next day, June 30, was fought the battle 
of "Glendale," better known by the men of the Fifty-seventh as the battle of 
'"Charles City Cross Koads." 

The object of making a stand here, was to hold the enemy in check until 
our long train of wagons and ambulances had passed in safety to James river. 
Had the enemy succeeded in breaking through our line at this point great dis- 
aster would have Ijefallen our army. On our side the battle was fought prin- 
cipally by three divisions, Slocum on the right, Kearny in the center and 
McCall on the left. These troops were reinforced during the battle by troops 
from other divisions. 

The Fifty-seventh had a good position, })ehind a low rail fence, on the edge 
of a small chaparral, with the left of the regiment in rear of Thompson's bat- 
tery. The battle commenced about 4 p. m., the enemy making the most des- 
perate charges in heavy masses. Their ranks were fearfully decimated by the 
fire of our artillery and infantry, and their most persistent efforts failed to 
make a lodgement within our line. The firing was kept up until 10 p. m., when 
silence reigned over the field. 

In his report of this action Lieutenant-Colonel Woods states that the Fifty- 
seventh had fourteen officers and one hundred and seventy-four enlisted men 
engaged. Our casualties were seven men killed, three officers and fifty-four 
men wounded and eighteen men captured. Among the officers wounded was 
acting Major Simonton. We held our position in line of battle until 1 o'clock 
in the morning of July 1, and then took up our march for Malvern Hill. 

In the battle which occurred at this place the Fifty-seventh did not become 
heavily engaged, although we suffered some loss from the enemy's artillery 
fire. We had one officer and one enlisted man killed, eight enlisted men 
wounded and four missing. During a lull in the battle, while Lieutenant 
Charles O. Etz and the first sergeant of Company D were lying side by side 
fast asleep, a rebel .shell exploded nearby, the fragments of which killed both 
instantly. We left the field of Malvern Hill about daylight of the 2d, and 
after a weary march through mud and rain, we reached Harrison's Landing on 
the James river alwut fi p. m. We remained in camp at this place until the 
middle of August, during which time we performed the usual routine of camp 
duties, (ieneral Kearny used to drill the whole division together three times 
a week in a large field about two miles from camp. 

While in this camp Lieutenant-Colonel Woods was taken sick and sent to the 
hospital, and was soon after honorably discharged. This left us without a field 
officer present. There were but two captains present. Maxwell and Strohecker, 
and these at different times had command of the regiment. On August 12, 
the Fifty-seventh was transferred to General Birney's Second Brigade, .\bout 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 325 

the same time Major William Birney of the Fourth New Jersey Volunteers 
was temporarily assigned to the command of the regiment which he retained 
until the following October. 

General Lee having moved a large portion of his army northward to confront 
General Pope, who was moving southward from Culpeper, Va., preparations 
were made by our army to evacuate the Peninsula and go to Pope's assistance. 

Kearny's division began its march on August 15, and the evening of that 
day found us at Jones' bridge on the Chickahoniiny. On the 16th, we marched 
to Liberty church at Diascond bridge. The next day the Fifty-seventh was 
detached from the division, and took a road to the right of the main column, 
acting as flankers. We had a long march but the roads were good, and after 
dark we reached the old Williamsburg road, and encamped near the rest of the 
division a few miles west of Williamsburg. 

On the 18th, after a hot and dusty march, we arrived at Yorktown about .3 
p. m. The next day we got on board a steamer (where we were packed like 
herring in a box), and on the afternoon of the 25th, we disembarked at Alexan- 
dria, Va. About dark we boarded the cars of the Orange and Alexandria rail- 
road, and the next morning found us near Warrenton Junction, where we lelt 
the train and encamped. Our division was among the first troops of the Army 
of the Potomac to reach Pope. 

For several days we moved to various points along the railroad and on night 
of the 26th, we were on picket at Bealton Station, near the Rappahannock. 
General Lee having flanked Pope's right, and gained oui rear, our army began 
to fall back towards Centerville. On August 27, our regiment began the rear- 
ward movement, and marched from Bealton to Greenwich. On the 28th. Ave 
moved via Bristow Station to Mana.ssas Junction, where we halted for .several 
hours. Here could be seen the smoking ruins of the depot and long trains of 
cars destroyed by Stonewall Jackson the day previous. Resuming our march 
we arrived at Centerville after dark, and halted in what had been a rebel camp 
the previous winter. At daylight next morning we moved toward the enemy, 
and were soon upon the ground where was fought the second battle of Bull 
Run. Our division occupied a position near Sudley Springs. About 8 p. m., 
the division attacked the left of Jackson's line, and drove it back for half a 
mile. The Fifty-seventh had three men wounded in this engagement. On 
the 30th, there was but little lighting on our part of the line, but on the left the 
army was hotly engaged, and was repulsed. The whole army fell back to 
Centerville at night. 

Late in the afternoon of September 1, the division wiis hurriedly ordered to 
fall in, and was then rapidly marched several miles to Chantilly, where a bat- 
tle was in progress. When we reached the field a violent thunder storm was 
raging and it was almost dark. The regiment occupied the battle-field that 
night as pickets. In this action we had one man wounded. It was in this 
battle that the brave and accomplished soldier. General *'Phil Kearny," was 
killed. He fell within the lines of the enemy. The next morning his body 
was sent inside our line by General Lee, when a detachment of the Fifty- 
seventh acted as an escort of the corpse to Washington. 

On the 2d, our division started for Alexandria, Va., and on the afternoon of 
the 3d, we reached that place and encamped once more near Fort Lyon. 

The Fifty -seventh had been greatly depleted in numbers since it left this 
place in jMarch previous. Then it hatl in its ranks about seven hundred men 



326 Pennsylvama af Gettysbicrg. 

for duly, now, owing to battle and disease, it could muster barely two liundred 
and fifty. We remained in this vicinity until the IGth ol" September, when 
the division (now commanded by General Stoneman i moved up the Potomac 
via llockville and Poolesville to Conrad's Ferry. We encamped here for six 
weeks, our brigade guarding the river from the moiith of the Monocacy to 
Edwards' Ferry. 

On September 2.'), (•t)ni])aiiies I) and G, were disbandeil ami the men assigned 
to other (lompanie.s. From this time until January 1."), 186"), the regiment 
consisted of but eight companies, .\bout the 1st of October the regiment, 
atrcompanied by a section of artillery and a scjuatlron of Colonel Duffie's cav- 
alry, crossed the I'otomac at Conrad's Ferry, and made a reconnaissance to 
Leesburg, which is located . about three miles from the ferry. We captured a 
few prisoners in the town and returned to our camjis in the evening. 

On October 11, our brigade took part in the expedition sent out to capture 
Stuart's cavaliy, which had crossed above the right of our army and made a 
raid on Chambershurg. Pennsylvania. Owing to some mismanagement, the 
enemy was allowed to recross the river with all his booty at White's Ford vvitli 
a loss of but two or three men whom we captured. On the 10th ofOctol)er. 
Colonel Campbell returned and took command of the regiment, relieving Major 
Birney, who was assignetl to the Thirty-eighth New York. A geneial advance 
of the army being ordered, we crossed the river on October '28 and moved south- 
ward. When near Warrentou, Virginia, on November 7, General McClellan 
was relieved from command of the army, and was succeeded by General Burn- 
side. 

On November 12, near Waterloo Bridge, si.x men of Company K were captured, 
while returning from a ft)raging expedition, by some of Stuart's cavalry, .\bout 
the •20th of November, we reached Falmouth, Virginia, and the whole army 
being concentrated there, we expected sfwn to l)e engaged with tlie enemy who 
were on tlie opposite side of the Rappahannock on the hills in rear of Freder- 
icksb.urg. No immediate attack was made however, and the weather growing 
cold, our army went into winter quarters about the 1st of December. On the 
11th we broke camp, and that night we bivouacked in a large field near our 
camp. On the evening of the 12th, we moved down the river, near the pontoon 
bridge, where Franklin's Grand Division had already crossed. About 11 a. m. 
next day, our division began to cross over, and after marching a short distance 
we were halted and then laid down under a heavy fire of the enemy's artillery. 
About 3 p. m. we were ordered forward to support an attack that had been 
made by General Meade's Pennsylvania Reserves. Colonel Campbell moved 
the regiment forward in splendid style, and after passing Randolph's Battery 
we took position in a ditch, and opened fire on the enemy whidi checked their 
advance, and frustrated their hopes of capturing Randolph's Battery. Our po- 
sition in the ditch enabled the battery to fire over us, killing a number of the 
enemy, some of whom fell into the ditch we occupied. The enemy fell back 
into the woods, but many of them who had taken refuge in the ditch became 
our prisoners when we were relieved after dark l)y the One hundred and four- 
teenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 

On the 11th, the regiment remained on the field in rear dlOur batteries, 
until dark, when we were again sent to the <'xtreme front, where we stayed until 
about midnight on the l.")th. when with the rest of the army we recrossed the 
river. In the battle. Colonel CaMii)bell, who still carried his arm in a sling 



Pennaiilvanux af Gettysburg. 327 

(IVoiu a wound receivod at Fair Oaks), was again severely wonnded in the same 
arm and in the groin. He was afterward promoted to l)rigadier-general and 
assigned to the "Department of tlie Northwest." Surgeon Kennedy and Cap- 
tain Strohecker were also wounded. The latter was soon after honoral)ly dis- 
charged. Our loss at Frederieksburg was twenty-one enlisted men killed, 
tlnee officers and fifty-four enlisted men wonnded and tifty-three men captured. 
Captain Peter Sides of Company .\. wlio had been absent onaccount of sickness, 
returned on December 15, and, having l»een promoted lieutenant-colonel, lie took 
command of the regiment. The division reoccupied its old camp which was 
now named " Camp Pitcher,'' in honor of .Major Pit<^her of the Fourth Maine, 
who was killed at Frederick.sl)urg. 

Between the '2()tl\ and 2lid of .lanuary, Isti.i. we took )>art in the famous •" Mud 
March." when we "" marcluMl so far in one day that it took us two days to get 
back." 

■ On .January 2'\ General Hooker succeeded (xeneral Kurnside in command of 
the army. General Birney our division, and General Ward our l)rigade. 

Soon after the battle of Fredericksburg, certain evil-<lisposed persons at the 
north were loud in their assertions that the Army of the I'otomac was demoral- 
izetl and tired of the war, and circulated other reports derogatory to the char- 
acter of that army. To confute such reports, and to denounce those with whom 
they originated, a meeting of the officers and men of the Fifty-seventh was held 
on February 36. at which resolutions were adopted denouncing as false the 
calumnious reports circulated concerning the arm}'. One of the resolutions de- 
clared that the Fifty-seventh would sustain the government in the future as in 
the past, a resolution which was made good by three-fourths of the regiment 
re-enlisting for three years in the following December. Our regiment was the 
first to adopt resolutions of this nature, which were ordered to be published in 
the newspapers in the counties from which the regiment was raised. Our ex- 
ample was followed by many of the regiments of the Army of the Potomac. 

Camp Pitcher was abaiidoned on March 4, when we moved about four miles 
and laid out a new camp near the railroad bridge over Potomac creek. On the 
same day, the Fifty-seventh was reassigned to the First Brigade, commanded 
by Colonel Collis. who was succeeded a few days later by General Charles K. 
Graham. The brigade now consisted of six Pennsylvania regiments, viz : Fifty- 
seventh, Sixty-third. Sixty-eighth, One hundred and fifth. One hundred and 
fourteenth and One hundred and forty-first. The two last mentioned and the 
Sixty-eighth were new regiments which entered the service in September. 1862. 

On the afternoon of April 28, 1863, we left camp, and in a drizzling rain 
marched to near Franklin's Crossing on the Rappahannock; this was our initia- 
tion into what is known as the Chancellorville Campaign. 

On the 29th we moved backward and forward to various points along the river, 
the object of which seemed to be to lead the enemy to think that we were going 
to cross and attack at that place. On the 30th the weather had become 
clear and warm, and about noon we started up tiie river road, and at night 
halted near Hartwood Church. Next morning we crossed tlie river at the United 
States Ford. About 2 n. m. the luarch was resumed and soon after we reached 
the Chancellor House, a large brick building on the Fredericksburg and Orange 
plank road. After a short halt our brigade was marched westward along the 
plank road, for almost a mile, to Dowdall's tavern in i-ear of the position of 
the Eleventh Corps. We remained here but a short time when we marched 



328 Pemisylvania at Gettysburg. 

kick and rejoined the division near the Chancellor House, halting lor the night 
in a Large tieid. The enemy annoyed us some by shelling us with their artil- 
lery which was posted near the Old Furnacte, but did no damage. 

On the morning of May '2. we moved west on the plank road for a short dis- 
tance, and then, turning to the left, we marched along a road leading through 
the woods, on the southern border of wliich we threw up a line of works of 
lugs and dirt. This is the position known as Hazel Grove. About noon a col- 
umn of the enemy, and a wagon train, was seen moving across our front about 
a mile distiiut, and as their course was southward it was thought that they w ere 
letreating. Our artillery opened on them, which caused them to take another 
road. Our division was advanced, skirmishing with the enemy, and soon cap- 
tured the Twenty-third Georgia which was stationed at Welford's Furnace. 

Barlow's Division of the Eleventh Corps was advancing with us on our right. 
On reaching the high ground overlooking the furnace a halt was made and the 
line rectified. It wa,s growing late in the day and everything seemed to be 
moving along finely, w hen about (! o'clock a tremendous cannonade was heanl 
in the vicinitj- of the plank road and Hazel Grove, which we had left but a few 
hours before. It proved to be the on.set of Stonewall Jackson, who, by marching 
along roads hidden by the woods, had reached the right and rear of our army 
and wa.s driving back in cronfusion the divisions of 8churz and Stein wehr of 
the Eleventh Corps. 

At dark we were ordered to fall in and move to the rear, at the same time we 
were cautioned to make as little noise as ix)ssible. We .soon reached the open 
field in front of the line of works we had thrown up in the morning, and which 
now were held by the enemy. Ward's Brigade on our right made a charge into 
the woods and succeeded in driving back the enemy far enough to give us an 
opening to get out in the morning. At the dawn of day on the 3d the enemy's 
skirmishers attacked us on our left, their fire enfilading our line, and as the 
ground would not permit our forming a line to oppose them, we faced to the 
right and double-quicked until we reached the large field which runs back to 
the Chancellor Hou.se. Here the regiments were deployed, and laced the enemy, 
and until 10 o'clock we were in some of the hottest fighting seen during the 
war. General Hooker had been injured by a shell and (General Couch hat! 
t«mporary command. 

Our c(jrps commander. General Sickles, had asked to be reinforced from the 
unemployed troops in the rear, but none came. After having repulsed charge 
after charge we were finally withdrawn to a new line in the rear. 

We did not again become engaged with the enemy but they gave us a severe 
shelling while we occupied the new entrenched line, on the evening of the Uh, 
woun<ling some of our men. 

The casualties in the Fifty-seventh at Chancellorsville were. Captain E. .1. 
Rice of Company E, and Lieutenant Joseph lirady of Comj)any H, killed ; 
eleven enlisted men killed ; three oflicers and forty-five enlisted men wounded 
and twenty-three men captured. Chaplain MiAdam and Assistant-Surgeon 
Leet were captured, but were soon after paroled and exchanged. On the after- 
noon of the oth a rain storm .set in, whicli continued through the night and 
next day, raising the river, and threatening to sweep away our pontoon bridges. 

On the morning of the Gth, we recrossed the river at United States ford and 
after a liard nianh through mud and rain, we reached our old camps aiH)ut 
dark. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 329 

The weatlier h;ivin<; become (luite warm, we abandoned our winter ([Uarters 
the last week in May, and moved alnnit two miles, and ]iitohed our tents in a 
large field near Belle Plain Landing, where we remained until the Gettysburg 
campaign opened on the 11th of June. About 1 p. m. on that day we packed 
up in a hurry and began our long march northward. The weather was exceed- 
ingly warm, and there was considerable straggling, but the men all came up 
at night, after we had halted near Tlartwood. On the I'ith, we marched to 
near Bealton Station on the O. & A. R. R. On the 13th, we marched a lew 
miles towards Rappahannock Station. On the 14th, we .started in the even- 
ing and marched to Catlett's Station, arriving about midnight. On the loth, 
we moved to Manassas Junction. This was one of the hottest days of the sum- 
mer, and about forty men were prostrated by sun.stroke in our division. 

On the Kith, we moved to Bull Run, camping at Mitchell's Ford. On the 
17th, our march was (ioutinued to Centreville. Late in the afternoon of the 
19th, we started for Gum Springs. We had not gone far when a .severe storm 
of rain, thunder and lightning set in. We arrived at Gum Springs, about 3 
a. m., on the 20th, when part of the regiment went on picket, and the rest laid 
down on the drenched .soil to sleep. 

We remained at this place until the '25th. It having been ascertained that 
Lee's army had cro.ssed the upper Potomac, and was on the march to Pennsyl- 
vania, we broke camp and cro.ssed the Potomac at Edwards' Ferry, and fiom 
thence moved up the river to the mouth of the Monocacy. On the 26th, we 
moved to Point of Rocks on the Potomac. 

On the 27th, we resumed our march at 8 a. m., and marching through Jef- 
ferson, we halted for the night near Middletown, Md. On the 28th, we 
marched through Middletown and Frederick City, halting for the night a mile 
or so beyond the city. In the evening we learned that General Hooker had 
been relieved from the command of the army, and had been succeeded by 
General Geo. G. Meade. On the 29th, we moved one mile beyond Taneytown, 
and encamped for the night in a pleasant grove. On the 30th, we moved to 
Bridgeport near Emmit.sburg, Md. 

On July 1, we left Emmitsburg about 1 p. m., and after a hard march 
through the mud, we arrived after dark at a point about two miles south of 
Gettysburg. We bivouacked for the night in a field to the right and in rear 
of the Trostle house. 

The Sixty-third Pennsylvania of our brigade was sent on picket, and early 
in the morning of the 2d, they began skirmishing with the enemy. 

The Sixty-third was occupying the Peach Orchard and the ground about the 
Sherfy house and barn. 

About three o'clock our brigade moved out and was posted on the east side 
of, and within a few rods of the Emmitsburg road. The regiments of the 
brigade were posted from right to left in the following order. The One hun- 
dred and fifth on the right of the Sherfy house, the Fifty-seventh opposite the 
house, next the One hundred and fourteenth. Sixty -eighth and One hundred 
and forty-first. The latter was in the peach orchard. From the peach orchard 
the line of our division (Birney's) curved around to the Devil's Den at the foot, 
of Round Top, where Ward's brigade was stationed. 

Hood's division of Longstreet's Corps, was opposed to our left, and McLaws' 
division of the same corps, was o])posite out right, Bark.sdal«;'s brigade of the 
latter division being opposeti to our brigade. 



330 Pennsylvania at Getty.shiirif. 

For about two houi-s after we took positioti near the road, we were exposed 
to one of the hottest artillery tires we ever en<oiintered. The enemy's batteries 
south of the orchard, and west of the road, poured a regular .stream of shells 
towards us. but fortunately most of them exploded after passing over us. 

When this lire slackened, the enemy's infantry advanced towards us through 
the fields west of Sherfy's house. The Fifty-seventh and One hundred and 
fourteenth were then ordered to (iross the road to meet the enemy. The Fit'ty- 
.seventh took advantage of the cover afforded by the house and adjoining out- 
buiklings, and opened fire with good effect. 

No doubt the regiments stationed at this point could have beaten back the 
enemy, but we lia<l not been long engaged, when we learned that the enemy had 
broken through Xhv angle at the peach orchard, and were swarming up the road 
in our rear. It was evident that if we remained at the house, we would all be 
captured, so we were obliged to fall back. We tried to warn our comrades, 
who had sought the cover of the house, anil were firing from its doors and win- 
dows, but could not make them understand the situation, and all were captured- 

During all this time the battle was raging fiercely at the Round Tops, Devil's 
Den and the Wheatfield. The Excelsior Brigade of our Second Division, and 
troops of the Second Corps were sent to our assistance, and the battle raged 
until dark in the fields between Pham Kun and the Emmitsburg road. Birney's 
division at the opening of the battle occupied a very exposed position, and in 
trying to hold it. h.ad met with such .severe losses that it was not again act- 
ively engaged during the battle. The Fifty -seventh entered the fight with a 
total of two hundred and nine officers and men. It lost, officers, two killed, nine 
wounded and lour captured. Enlisted men, twelve killed, thirty four wounded 
and fifty -five captured, a total of one hundred and fifteen, being over half the 
number that entered the battle. 

Lieutenant Henry Mitchell of Company E, and Lieutenant John F. Cox of 
Company I were killed. Among the wounded were Lieutenant-Colonel Sides. 
Acting Adjutant Nelson and Captain Houser. Major Neeper was captured and 
remained a i)ri.soner for aboiit a year when he was exchanged. Lieutenant 
Crossley. after one ineffi^ctual attempt to escape in November, 1864, succeeded 
on a second trial and escaped from pri.son at Columbia, S. ('., and entered the 
Union lines December 20, 18B4, after his terni of service had expired. 

Lieutenant Hinds was one of the one hundred and ninety officers who escaped 
from the famous tunnel at Libby Prison in February, 1864, but he had the 
misfortune to V)e recaptured, and remained a prisoner until .shortly before the 
war closed, and was honorably discharged in May, 186"). 

Lieutenant Burns remained a prisoner until after his lerni of .service expired 
and was honorably discharged in March. 186."). 

Of the fifty-five enlisted men who, on the 'id of .luly ut-ic (•a|>tu red at Get- 
tysburg, forty-foiu- died in .southern prisons. 

On the niornmg of .July :J, our brigade was jjosied ir. a small grove, about 
three-fourths of a mile in rear and to the right of the Sherfy house. Here we 
enjoyed a good rest under the shade of the trees, until about 2 p. m., when the 
tremendous cannon:ule that preceded Pickett's charge began. Soon after we 
were ordered into line, and facing to the right we took the double-(iuick step, 
and on reaching th<^ open field, we formed line in rear of our artillery, which 
was busily engaged in replying to the enemy's jiuns. 



Pennsylvania at Getty sfmrg. 331 

Imlnt'Il^sl' c'lic-oriiig was soon after hoard on tlie right, aiul then we Icarneti 
that tht; last attempt on our lin«;s liad laih'<l. 

At night the regiment went to the front on picket, l)eing posted on ground 
that was thickly strewn witli dead men and horses ; and as some of these ha<i 
been dead for twenty -four hours, tlie stench was sickening. At daylight we 
rejoined the brigade, the enemy in the meantime having begun their retreat. 

We remained at (Jettysburg until July 7. wlien our corps moved oft', pa.ssing 
through Emmitsburg to Mechanicat«wn, Md. On the 8th, we passed through 
Frederick City and encamped two miles )»eyond the town. On the 9th, we 
started from near Middletown and marched to South Mountain. 

About this time the division of (ieneral W. H. French was assignetl to the 
t»rps, and was designated as the Third Division. (Jenera! French took com- 
mand of the corps, succeeding General Sickles, who lost a leg at Gettysburg. 
(Lionel Madill of the One hundred and forty-first commanded the brigade. 
General Graham being made a prisoner in the late battle. 

On July 10, we marched from South Mountain to about five miles beyond 
Keadysville, Md. 

On the 11th, we marched to near Falling Waters. On the I'Jtli, wi; were 
drawn up in line of battle aud expected to make an attack on the entrench- 
ments of the enemy, but we were" not ordered forward. The enemy having 
recrossed the river into Virginia, we left our camps on the 1.5th and alter pass- 
ing over the old Autietam battleground, we halted about two miles beyond 
Sharpsburg. On the 16th, we passed through Brownsville and Rohrersville, 
and encamped near Harper's Ferry. On the 17th, we crossed the Potomac at 
Harper's Ferry, aud were once more in Virginia. We resumed the march on 
the 18th and 19th, and on the 20th, we leached Upperville. On the 2od, we 
were near Manassas Gap, where it was e.vpected we would strike the enemy's 
column, that was moving up the Shenandoah Valley. We moved t() the top 
of a high hill, where we luul a tiue view of the surrounding country, and also 
witnessed a battle between a small force of the enemy and the Excelsior brig- 
ade. The Fifty -seventh was only slightly engageil and had a few men wounded. 
The enemy having disappeared during the night, we nuirched next day .some 
miles beyond Piedmont on the Manassas Gap railroad. 

The greater part of our march was over the torn np railroad track, aud as 
the weather was excessively hot, we were a tired lot of men when we en- 
camped that night. On the '25th, we marched to within six miles of Warren- 
ton, and on the 26th, we moved to Sulphur Springs about four miles west of 
Warrenton. At this place we encamped for about six weeks, during which 
time Colonel Sides, and some of the oflicers and men that had been wounded at 
Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, returned for duty. We had a line <anij), with 
good fa(dlities for bathing in Hedgeman's river, a branch of the Kappaliannock. 
For exercise we had frequent brigade and regimental drills, with o(;casional 
picket duty. 

We broke camp on September 16, and crossed the Rappahannock ut Free- 
man's Ford near which we bivouacked for the night, and the next day we moved 
on and encamped near Culpeper. 

Here we remained until October 11, when it was found that General Lee was 
trying to turn our right, aud get in our rear as he hud done the year before. 
This made a retrograde movement of our army a necessity. On the afternoon 
of the 11th we moved to the rear, recrossed the river, and about dark camped 



332 Pennsylvania at Gettj/shnn/. 

a lew miles south of .Sulphur Springs. We coutinufd <ivir move to the rear and 
on the llith. about 1 p. ni.. we encountered the enemy's cavalry at Aulmm 
Creek. Our brigade held the advance of the column on that day, and the Fifty- 
seventh was the leading regiment. Companies A and K acted as advance 
guard. These companies deployed on either side of the road, and opened fire 
on tlie enemy's cavalry, who were dismounted and were advancing through the 
woods and o|>en fields. Our firing soon brought uji the rest of our brigade and 
a batt€ry. A few shells thrown toward the enemy sufficed to drive them off: 
when we moved on and at night halted at the village of Greenwich. 

On the 11th, we marched to Centerville, via Uristoe and Manassas Junc- 
tion. On the 15th, we moved to Fairfax Station, where we remained until 
the 19th. 

The enemy having declined to attack us in position at Centerville, they re- 
treated, closely followed by our army. On the 19th, we again moved forward 
and encamped near Bristoe Station. On the 20th, we marched through Green- 
wich and encamped alx)ut two miles beyond the town. On the 21st, we passed 
through Auburn, and over the ground where Hays' Division of the Second Corjjs 
had engaged the enemy a few days before. At night we encamped near Cat- 
lett'S Station on the O. & A. H. K. 

From this date until November 7, we moved to various points along the line 
of the railroad, which having been 'destroyed by the enemy, made it necessjiry 
for us to rebuild it ; consequently our advance was slow. 

At f) a. m., November 7, we broke camp and moved to Kelly's Ford on the 
liappabannock. Here the enemy disputed our crossing and a brisk .skirmish en- 
suetl. They finally relinquished their attempts to hold the fonl, when we crossed 
over and encamped. In this skirmish, while Captain T. L. Maynard, our 
brigade in-spector, was giving a drink of water to a wounded rel>el. be was 
mortally wounded and died next morning. 

On the 8th. Ave moved to lirandy Station, and after a few days we moved 
into the woods clo.se by, and occupied a lot of huts that liad lately been con- 
structed bj' the rebels, to be used as winter quarters, but they had now fallen 
l)apck beyond the river Rapidan. We remained in thi.s camp for a few weeks, 
when we were once more on the move, to take part in what is called the "Mine 
Kun Campaign." 

On the morning of November 26, we moved out of camp, and in the evening 
cros.sed the Rapidan at Jacobs' Ford, without interruption by the enemy. The 
a<lvance was resumed next morning, and about t j>. m. our division was hurried 
to the front to lelieve the Third division which had become engaged with 
Johnson's Division of Ewell's Corjjs. We got into a brisk little fight in whicli 
the Fifty -seventh had seven men wounded. This action occurred at Locust 
Grove. It appears that our corps commander, (General French, got on the wrong 
road, and instead of getting between the corps of Hill and Ewell, who were 
miles apart, we ran against Ewell, and that brought on the engagement. 

The enemy retreated during the night, and the next morning their army vas 
concentrate<l, which our movements the day betbre were int(>n(led to prevent. 
On the 2Rth. we started again and after nuirching all day in the rain wc came 
up with the enemy, who were occupying a strong position along the banks of 
Mine Run. The next day we laid in a field in support of a battery, and at 
night were ordered on picket. The weather had grown very cold, and as no 
fires were allowed we were nearly frozen. 



Pennsylvania at Gettyshurg. 333 

After several days spent in mancoavriug, it was decided that the enemy's 
pf).sition ^vas too strong to be successfully attacked, therefore a retreat wa*» 
ordered. On the night of December 1, during a severe snovr storm, we moved 
to the rear, and recrossed the liapidan at Culpeper Mine Ford, about daylight 
un the 2d. About !) o'clock the march to the rear was resumed, the Fifty- 
.seventh and Sixty-third Pennsylvania acting as guard to our wagon train. 
Having run out of rations we were very hungry, but we managed to procure 
stimething to eat before niglit. 

The next day we reached our old camp and as we found our huts all in good 
condition, we soon had them rtwfed Avith our .shelter tents, and were once more 
aimfortably housed. 

For some weeks after the Mine Run exjjedition the question of re-enlisting 
formed the chief topic of conversation among the men of the Fifty-seventh. 
The War Department had is.sued General Order 191, which allowed a bounty 
of $40(1, and a furlough of thirty days to each man who re-enlisted. Where 
three-lburths of the men present in any regiment re-enlisted, the regiment was 
allowed to go in a body to the place of organization, and from thence the men 
could go to their homes on furlough. 

On the 24th of December, the regiment v/as formed in a hollow square in front 
of headquarters, and then briefly addressed by Chaplain McAdam, on the pro- 
priety of re-enlisting. At the conclusion of the Chaplain's remarks. Colonel 
.Sides requested those who were willing to re-enlist te step three paces to Uj,e 
front. Over three-fourths of the men stepped forward, and after giving three 
cheers for the Union, were dismissed. 

Then for several days the officers and tirst sergeants were busily making out 
muster rolls, furloughs, and re-enlistment papers, etc. 

Among the men the furloxigh was the all absorbing theme. It is safe to say 
that a bounty of $1,000 without the furlough would have secured but a small 
portion of the men. But the assurance of being allowed to spend thirty days 
at home, was the great inducement to re-enlisting. 

The following named officers re-signed or were honorably discharged during 
the year 1863 : 

-Major Simonton, Major Strohecker i resigned as Captain), Assistant-Surgeon 
Leet; Captain Gillespie and Lieutenant CoUomore, Company B; Captain Eber- 
man, Company E; Captain Maxwell, Captain Clark and Lieuteiuxnt Cameron, 
Company F; Lieutenant Edmiston, Company H. 

Promotions. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Sides to Colonel; Captain Neeper to Major; Second Lieu- 
tenant Hinds to First Lieutenant and Sergeant Green to Second Lieutenant, 
Company A. Sergeant Burns to Second Lieutenant Company B. First Lieu- 
tenant Hill to Captam, Sergeant Major McCartney to First Lieutenant and Ser- 
geant Houser to Second Lieutenant Company C. First Lieutenant Kice of Com- 
pany A, to Captain Company E. Color Bearer Williams to First Lieutenant 
and to Captain Company E. Second Lieutenant Mitchell to First Lieutenant 
and Sergeant Parks to Second Lieutenant Company E. Second Lieutenant Nel- 
son to First Lieutenant and to Captain, Sergeant Ruger to First Lieutenant, and 
Sergeant Cameron to Second Lieutenant Company F. First Lieutenant Dar- 
ling to Captain. Sergeant Shaw to First Lieutenant and Sergeant Gore to Sec- 



334 Pt iiiiKi/fi-anid <if (reffj/shnrg. 

ond Lienienant Company H. First Lieutenant I'.iinipiis to Captain and Ser- 
geant Bowei-s to First Lieutenant Company L 

January 8, 18M, was the time app<nnle*l for Ihe regiment to leave for the 
north, and long before daylight the men were up and getting ready for their 
ilepartnre. About 7 a. m.. we boarded the cars at Brandy Station and were soon 
under way for Washington, where we remained for a day and a night and then 
started lor Hairi.sburg. Pa. Here we deposited our arms in the arsenal, and 
then the men departed b\' various routes for their homes. Before we left 
Brand V Station, each man who re-enlisted had received the pay due him; the 
old l>ounty of $100, one month's pay in advance, and the first instalment ($50) 
of the new bounty. Therefore the men were well fixed financially, to enjoy 
what is known as the " Veteran Furlough." 

When the men had been at home for some time many of their former com- 
})anions and friends were eager to enlist and return with our boys to the army. 
On jKcount of our success in obtaining recruits the furlough of the men was ex- 
tended. When we left the front the regiment numbered barely 200 enlisted 
men. After an alisence of about forty-five days it returned with at least ."iOO 
men in its ranks. 

Our old Hag. w Inch had been torn by the bullets of many battles, was left at 
Harrisburg when we came home; and on our return to the front we received a 
new one from the hands of Governor Curtin. On the 25th of February, we re- 
joined the brigade near Culpeper, Va.. and on the 27th, we went with the 
brigade on a reconnaissance in the direction of Madison Court House. We were 
gone two (lays during which time nothing of imjiortance occurred. 

General (irant having been appointed Lieutenant-General and placed in com- 
mand of all our armies, made his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac 
s<»m«; time in March. 1864. 

About the Ifith of the .same mouth, that army was reorganized. The Fir.st 
and Third Army Corps were disbanded and the divisions a.ssigned to other 
<-orps. The First and Second divisions ol' the Third Corps (the old divisions of 
Kearny and Hooker) were a.ssigned to the Second Corps and were commanded 
by Generals Birney and Mott respectively. General Hancock commanded the 
Corps. Our division was now designated the Third Division of the Second Corps. 

Our brigade (now the Second) was commanded by (General Alexander Hays, 
who was formerly Colonel of the Sixty-tliird Penn.sylvania Volunteers. 

Our Third division was assigned to the Sixth Corps. The men having a great 
pride in their former organizations, and proud of the 1)adge which designated 
them, were allowed to wear the badge of the old Corjis to which they had lx>en 
alta<h«Hl. 

The great campaign of IHOl began soon after midnight on the M of May. 
The Second Corps with a strong Ibrce of cavalry moved out and about daylight 
crossed the Kapidan river at Ely's Ford. On the night of the 4th, we bivouacked 
on the old Chancellorsville battlefield on the ground where we had tbught one 
yejir and a day before. 

On the morning of the .')tli, we moved down the plank road t(»wards Fredericks- 
burg, then turned to the right and took a road leading southwesterly towards 
Todd's Tavern, near which we halted at ii(K)h. Alunit 2 ji. m., we renewed 
our march, passing over the Brock K'oad. and soon altei- lormed line in the 
woods on the left of the road. Here we were movwl about from place to place 
for some linn-, and finally move»l baik into the road, and then faced to the right 



Pcnnsf/Ivania of (ji'ifi/shnrtj. 335 

and orderec! forwaiil in donblc-qnick limo. until we reached the erossing of the 
Orange Phiuk road. When the left of the regiment liad crossed the road, we 
were taced to the left and advance<l in line of battle through the dense woods 
known as the Wilderness. Brisk tiring was going on in our front and we had 
not gone far when we met the enemy. The left of the Fifty -seventli rested on 
the plank road and on the ojjposite side of the road was the Seventeenth 
Maine. Our line was quite cIo.se to the enemy, but the density of the under- 
bru.sh made it almost impossible to see them, so taking direct aim was out of the 
question. Never before were such volleys of musketry heard as those which 
rolled through that gloomy wilderness on May .">, 18()4. 

The old regiment fought nobly, meeting with fearful los.s. but they stood 
their ground until relieved in the evening, and then went back to the Krock 
Road. The next morning we moved out beyond the ]X)sition where we had 
fought the evening before. We .soon came against the enemy, drove him back 
nearly a mile but they were soon re-entbrced and then it was our turn to fall 
back. We ha<l been lighting the troops of A. P. Hill's (rorps and had them 
about whipped, when Longstreet came on the tield with his fresh cori)s. After 
some grand l)ushwhacking, our line fell back to the V)nastworks along the 
Brock Road. 

The casualties in the Fifty-seventh (which were principally incurred on the 
5th), were four officers wounded; enlisted men, twenty -two killed, and one 
hundred and twenty-four wounded and three missing. Colonel Sides was badly 
wounded in this battle and did not again return to the regimerit iVw duty. We 
also had to mourn the loss of that l»rave soldier and hero, (ieneral .Mexander 
Hays, who fell at the head of the brigade on the evening of May o. 

At about the same hour on May 7, the two armies l)egaii to move on paiallel 
roads toward Spotsylvania. The regiment now commanded by Captain A. H. 
Nelson of Company K. had a slight brush with the enemy at Ny river on May 8. 

At Spotsylvania on May 1:2, Birney's and Barlow's divisions formed the 
first line in Hancock's great charge on the enemy's works, when we captured 
from thirty to forty guns and several thousand prisoners. 

From May 11 to May 18, the casualties in the Fifty-seventh were one otticer 
killed and wounded; enlisted men. six killed, seventeen wo\uided and three 
mi.ssing. Lieutenant Green of Comjjany A. was killed May 12, Lieutenant 
Bowers of Company I, died May 22, and Captain Williams of Company E, May 
28, of wounds received in action. 

In a charge at the battle of North .\nna river, the regiment had one man 
killed and three officers wounded. At Totopotomoy river on May HI, and at 
Cold Harbor on June 3, the regiment was engaged losing in ea<;h action, one 
man wounded and three missing. 

On June .3, the colors of the Fifty-seventh were furled around the staff, which 
was stuck in the breastworks, when it was struck by a piece of shell and cut in 
two. On .Tune 12, our army left Cold Harbor and started for Petersburg, our 
Corps cro.ssing the James river at Wilcox's wharf on .Tune 14. From .Tune 1(! 
to 18, the regiment was in several charges which were made on the enemy's 
works at Petersburg: losing Adjutant Clark M. I^yons. and four enlisted men 
killed, and twelve men wounded; T.,ieutenant Henry M. .\dams. while standing 
on our works, was killed by a rebel sharp.shooter, .Tune 15. 

Major Neeper who had been captured at (Jettysburg, had been exchanged, 



336 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

and promoted to LieuteiKnil-Colont'l, rt'turned to the regiment :il)oiit tliis time 
and assumed command. 

In au engagement on .June J'J, tlie Fifty -seventh hud one otlicer and four en- 
listed men wounded. Lieutenant James F. Ruger and nine enlisted men were 
a^ptured. 

The regiment wivsalso under fire at Deep Hottom on July 'Jti, and during the 
'• Burnside Mine " alTair on July 30. 

During a second expedition to Deep Bottom August 12 to 18, the Fifty- 
seventh lost one otiicer (Captain Lyons) and Hfteen men wounded and four 
missing. In the tight at Poplar (irove, October 2, three men were wounded. 

Our next engagement was on the Boyd ton Plank Road on October 27. Our 
division (now commanded by General Mott) and Egan's division of the same 
corps, had moved to the left with the cavalry, to attempt to capture the South 
Side railroad. While these two divisions were in a large field surrounded by 
woods, near Burgess' Tavern, waiting lor General Warren's (Fifth) Corps U> 
join us on the right, the enemy discovered the gap between the two corps, 
through which Mahone's rebel division charged, and came suddenly upon us. 
For a short time there was considerable confusion but order was soon restored, 
and the enemy driven back, leaving with us many of their men as prisoners. 
This affair is generally known as the " Bull Pen Fight." Our effort to sur- 
prise the enemy had failed, so we moved back to camp during the night. 

On December 9, an expedition under General Warren, consisting of his own 
Corps, Mott's Division of the Second Coi-ps, and a brigade of cjivalry, started 
out for the purpose of further destroying the Weldon railroad. 

We struck the railroad near Jarratt's Station, and efl"ectually destroyed it 
for twenty miles, to a]X)int near the North Carolina line. A very disi^reeable 
feature of this expedition was the snow storm through which we marched back 
to our old camp near Petersburg. Several hundred recruits, substitutes and 
drafted men joined the regiment during the autumn months of 1864 

The term of service of a number of officers and men expired in the month of 
November, 1864, for which reason they were honorably discharged and mus- 
tered out. 

The following changes occurred among the officers during the year. Those 
killed or died have already been mentionetl. 

Colonel Sides discharged (m account of wounds November 28. The following 
were discharged on account of expinition of term in the month of November: 
Lieutenant-Colonel W^. P.. Neeper. Quartermaster Israel Garrettson. Captain 
Hill and Lieutenant McCartney of Company C, Captain U. If. N<ls<m. Com- 
pany F and A. H. Nelson, Company K, 

Surgeon Lyman was mu.stered out September 16, to accept the Lieutenant- 
Colonelcy of the Two hundred and third Pennsylvania Volunteers; while serv- 
ing with that regiment, he was killed at Fort Fisher. N. C, January 15, 1865. 
Captain J. R. Lyons discharged for wounds; Captain Darling and Lieutenant 
J. M. Robison for physic;il disability. 

In the month of January, 1865, th»; Fifty-seventh and lOighty-fourth Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers were con.solidated, the Fifty-stjventh retaining its numeri- 
cal designation. Since Sei)tember 25, 1862, the Fifty -seventh had consisted of 
but eight companies. By Special Order No. 8, War Department, January 6, 
1865, the Fifty -seventh was consolidated int^) six companies. Companies A and 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 337 

E were brokea up aud the nieii (lisliil)ut('(i with tlie reinuiiiing six companies 
so as to equalize them in strength. 

By the same order the Eiglity-tourth was consolidated into a Ijatalliou of four 
companies, and these were then united with the Fifty -seventh, forming a regi- 
ment of ten com])auies. averaging fifty men present to each comiiany. 

The Eiglity-fourth liad a splendid record. Its fust fighting was at Winches- 
ter, Va., March 23, 386:2, where it lost many gallant ofiicers and men. Since 
August of the same year it had been connected with the Army of tlie Potomac, 
Avhere it nobly sustained its ohl reputation. 

The consolidation made it necessary to change the lelti-rs of some of the com- 
panies of the old Fifty-seventh although the organization of the companies 
whose letters were changed was not disturbed. 

Per Special Order, Xo. 4, Headquarters Fifth-seventh Pennsylvania Veteran 
Volunteers, January 16, 1865, tlie Ibllowing alterations in the lettering of the 
companies of tlu; old Fifty-seventh was ordered: 

Company H, to be designated Company A; Company I, l^) be designated 
Company D; Company K. to be designated Company E; Com])anies 1!, C and 
F, to retain their letters. 

The companies of that part which comprised the old Eighty-fourth were 
lettered G, H, I and K. Lieutenant -Colonel Bumpus who commanded the 
regiment from Xovember, 1864, until tlie consolidation, was mustered out as a 
supernumerary, as were also the non-commissioned officers of tlie disbanded 
companies. 

For about two m<inths after consolidation the regiment w:is commanded by 
Major Bryan. Colonel Zinn, who was absent on account of wounds, returned 
and took command on March 18. Aliout the same time Lieutenant-Colonel 
Perkins, who had been serving on (reneral Mott's staff" as Captain, returned for 
duty with the regiment. 

On February 5, another move was made beyond Hatcher's Kuu for the pur- 
pose of extending our lines, and if a favorable opportunity offered, of taking the 
coveted South Side railroad. We moved by the Vaughan road, and having 
.crossed the run threw up a line of works. Late in the afternoon the regiment 
(e.xcepting Company E, Avhicli was on picket on another part of the line) had a 
brisk fight with the enemy, in which two of our men were wounded . We were 
out on the expedition until the 10th and as usual were caught in a snow storm. 

Nothing <jf importance occurred on our part of the line until March 25. 
Early on that morning the enemy tried to break through our lines at Fort 
Stedman some miles to our right. A few hours later the picket line of our 
brigade was ordered to advance. We had not gone far when the enemy's 
pickets opened on us. Several of the Fifty-seventh were wounded, among whom 
was Lieutenant E. I. Campbell who was hit on the hand. The line was ordered 
back again to the entrenched position in the rear, where it remained until re- 
lieved at 9 a. m. 

Aljout ?> p. m. the whole division was ordered to the front where we threw 
up a line of works near the house of Mrs. Watkins. About dark the enemy 
made a heavy attack, but we had the strongest force on the ground, and but few 
of them got back to their works. The Fifty-seventh captured one hundred and 
sixteen prisoners, among which were six officers. The regiment had five men 
wounded, one of Companj- E. mortally. 

On the morning of March 29, was inaugurated what proved to be the last 
22 



338 Prnnfiylvania at (iciiyshnrg. 

ciimpai^iM <>1" the Armv of llio ]\)tomiU'. On that nioining wo moved alxmt three 
miles to the left, and began lo throw up a line of works. The Cavalry and the 
Fiftli Corps, under General Sheridan, and the Seeond Cori)s under Ceiural 
Humphreys were operating on this Hank. For .several days there was more or 
less fighting, but our Itrigade had not become seriously engaged. 

On the evening of April 1. Sheridan gained his great victory at Five Forks. 
.M)me four miles to our l«?fl. 

On the same uight a large detail ot the Filty-.sevtiith was sent on picket on 
an entrenched line which ran acro.s.s the field where occurred the " Bull Pen " 
light on the '27th of October previous. This line was hotly shelle<l by the 
enemy on the morning of April 'I, during which time several of our men were 
wounded. 

Far otT'on our right the .splendid charges of the Sixth and Ninth C«rp.s had 
made the fall of Petersburg a certainty. 

AlK)ut 9 a. r\\. our division started for I'etersburg via the Boydton I'lank 
road. Arriving near the city we moved about from one point to another until 
late in the afternoon, when we were formed in line a few rotis from the house 
that had been the headquarters of the rebel General Mahone. Here while we 
were constructing a temporary line ol works, we were subjected to a severe 
shelling which wounded several of our men. 

During the following night the enemy evacuated Petersburg and retreated 
westward; our army tollowing on parallel roads, and al.so pressing their rear. 

On the afternoon of April ♦;. at Sailor's Creek, our division and Miles' divi- 
sion, had a brisk fight with the rear guard of the enemy which resulted in our 
•capturing a wagon train of about two hundred and fifty wagons, and also the 
teams belonging to the .same. In the wagons Avere many trunks containing 
officers' clothing, and many were packed with lerainine apparel. These were 
appropriated by the men; and we had (iuit«> a masquerade around our camp- 
fires that night. In this engagement Lieutenant-Colonel Perkins and some of 
our men were wounded. 

(Jn the 7th, we again encountered the enemy, near High Bridge or Cumber- 
land Church. In front of the Fifty-seventh, the enemy held a strong position 
along a high ridge within cannon shot of our position. We suttered some from 
their artillery fire but did not attack. Part o( our corj>s on our right attacked 
and turned their jMjsition causing them to retreat once more. 

On the 8th, the regiment acted as flankers to the main column, marching in 
this manner for al>out six miles. 

Rumors were flying about that (J rant antl l>«',e were corresponding relative to 
the surrender of the rebel army, cau.sing our men to be in hiirh .spirits. 

About noon on April i). when we were resting near Ai)i>omattox Court Hou.se, 
we received the welcome tidings that the old enemy of the Army of the Potomac 
ha<l surrendered. 

During its active service which Itegan in .\pril, 18ti2, and ended in April, 
iKCo, tlu; Fifty -seventh had be<Mi engaged in twenty-.seven battles, and eight 
minor engagements or skirmishes. Its casualties during the .same period were: 
officers, eleven killed, thirty-two wounded and five (laptured; enlisted men. 
ninety-lour killed, four hundred and seventy-two wounded and one hundred 
and ninety-four captured, making a total of eight hundred and eight. 

The; total enlistments in the regiment were seventeen hundred and eleven, 
but in this iiuinbe- arcf included about two hundred men who re-enlisted in 





•iFTCIi«IIUC)«r»UUS., 

eucitBTiEnastawTuiuiiori^ 

UD KOVEOTO Sdmn « BmCIO; 
'ICCVFIEl 7IR •OHIWI IHt MWU 

orjoLyaaiiimaiisitrunu. 








PHOTO. By W. M. TIPTOH, GETTYSBURG. 



PRINT: THE F. GUTCKUNST CO., 



Penn.siilcania at Getty sbiirg. 339 

December, ]8(!.';, which arc; counted a.s lu-w <-tili.stiuent.s, ami about two hundred 
and titty men who joined the regiment in May. iHf!."), alter its ligbting was ovei. 

(Mtlie one lumdred and ninety-four men captured, it is sale to say that at, 
least two-tiiirds died in southern prisons. It has In^en iniiM)ssib]e to ascertain 
tbe number who died of disease in tield and general liospitals, but as a rule the 
number who died of disease is greater than the number killed in battle. 

After the surrender of Lee, the regiment marched to Burkeville, Va., and 
from thence to Richmond, Va. From here it moved by land to Alexandria, Va. 
On May '2o, it took jjart in the (irand Keview of the .\rmy ot the Potomac at 
Wiishington, D. C. 

On the afternotm of June 29, near liailey's Cross I\oads, Va., it was mustered 
out of service. The next morning it proceedeti to Harrisburg, Ta.. where the 
oflScers and men received their tinal j)ay and di.scharges. on July tl. 18(15. 



DEDICATION OK MONUMENT 

6P"^ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

Jll.Y 24, 1S8S 

ADDRK.SS or COLONEL ROBERT L. ORR 

CAOMKADES AND FRIENDS : Twenty-live years ago, after the historic 
march of the Sixth Corps, of forty miles in seventeen hours without an 
' organized halt, our regiment went into line near this place. On the 
night of the "id or the morning of the M. we were moved to this spot, 
on the extreme right of the infantry of the Army of the Potomac. Our skir- 
mishers were deployed at once and went to work to dislodge the enemy's 
sharpshooters concealed in yonder house. It was on this field, now known as 
one of the greatest battlefields in the world (iettysburg, famous in storv and 
.song — that a quarter of a century ago, the two great armies of this nation, en- 
gaged in a war for which history has no parallel, a war which shook this coimtry 
to its very center, met face to face, and challenged one another to battle. Lee 
flushed with recent victory and resting on the prestige which continued prai.se 
and devotion for military triumph, at home and abroad, had given him re- 
.solved to enter Pennsylvania, and strike the last effectual blow at the L'nion 
army. This army under Meade, blood-stained and worn blunt and strong bv 
campaigns which had been both disastrous and glorious, here gathered itself 
with grim resolution, though wearied by hardship, march and engagement, to 
await the onslaught. And these two mighty armies closed in a contest, the 
result of which was to prove that the North was not ready to surrender the 
bulwarks which our fathers had built around our liberties. And here, on this 
very spot, and all around here, within the sound of my voice, stood the gallant 
Sixty-first, to the end, enfeebled by forced marches, but not discouraged ; broken 
by severe losses, but not dismayed, covered with dust and smoke and blood 
but still sturdy and brave and true. We had known no defeat on the plains 
of Virginia, our banner was the banner of victory, and it was here unfurled 10 
the breeze when cannonading shook the earth and .strong men went down to 
death. AVhere danger was, the veteran Sixty-first went and our tattered and 
stained colors never trailed in the dust. And here, where our brave comrades 



340 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

fought and fell, where ihey surrendered to death, but not to rebellion, where 
they laid their lives on their country's altar, here where they strove that " Li- 
berty and the liiion "' might live, here, where to-day sleep under the blue 
vault of Heaven, the loyal son.s of scores of battles, we, the surviving members 
of the Sixty-first Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, dedicate this monument 
to their memories. It is right that we should raise this shaft and inscribe 
ujwn it in enduring characters the praise which history oflfers to brave war- 
riors, for by doing this we honor the memories of the men who as volunteers, 
left fireside, home and position, to give their services to the preservation and 
prosperity of the Union. And they were daring men, who had the courage to 
meet armed treason on many a field and challenge it to mortal combat. The 
dead of our gallant Sixty-first sleep to-day on every field where the Army of the 
Potomac and the Sixth Corps fought. It won oflicial recognition and high 
praise from everj- officer who commandetl them in battle, and no other where 
than here at Gettysburg, did the men of our regiment exhibit more endurance 
and courage, or seal with braver blood their fidelity to the cause for which they 
fought. When Lee, bent upon the total annihilation of the Army of the Potomac, 
suddenly transferred the seat of war across Mason and Dixon's line to the 
north, and penetrated the peaceful valleys of southern Pennsylvania, when he 
turned back the page of history, and read on it the record of successes and de- 
feats of two eventful years of bloody strife, when he saw that the advantages 
of war were only gained by exercising superior strategy, by summoning cour- 
age and by constant and incessant attrition of opposing forces, when he oeheld 
the flower of the Confederacy massed in his presence, still strong in the con- 
fidence of its own ability to wrest victory from defeat, and when with the 
mathematical precision which characterizes the evolutions of a trained soldier, 
he weighed the responsibilities with which the South had entrusted him and 
how these responsibilities would fare did he wrestle with the Army of tlie Poto- 
mac, on the hills of Getty.sburg. and when he finally determined to hurl him- 
self like a thunderbolt at an army waiting on its native .soil, the entire world 
stood aghast, and watched these two mighty contending forces, concentrating 
themselves for the final contest. And when after three days of smoke, din, 
carnage, blood and death, the terrors of war had written themselves in the 
clouds, and the sun, long concealed behind the black curtain of gloom, burst 
forth through the mist of the battle, and the roar of the last sullen wave of 
strife had died beyond the hill tops, Lee, the proud champion of the Confeder- 
acy, his array helpless and bleeding, hastened away from a field of irretrievable 
disaster, looked back to behold the .scene, had nothing but dismay and ruin to 
his hope and cause and country, saw high up in the heavens of midsummer, 
wreathed upon a scroll of immaculate white, " Victory for the rnion," and yet 
higher upon the very last and highest scroll of fleecy whiteness '• Liberty and 
Freedom Forever." 



ORATION OF .SERGEANT A. T. BREWER 

We meet to-day in a treble capacity. As citizens of our great republic; now 
imperial in power as well as extent. As representatives of the historic Com- 
monwealth of Penn.sylvania, .so abounding in the unsearchable riches of patriot- 
ism, and as survivors ot a conflict to maintain the one and shield the other. 



Pennsylvavid <if dcftyslnirg. Bil 

The American nation, twenty- live years ago, spontaneously and ollieially, 
recognized this jihice as one destined to an lionored immortality. Hither came 
the illustrious Chief Magistrate, and, inspired hy th«! association, uttered ex- 
alted sentiments, with a splendor of language unequaled in oratory. These 
blood-stained hills and valleys, battle-scarred rocks and trees, were sacredly 
dedicated to the patriotic valor displayed by the dead and the living. Here 
nature, rugged, grand, diversified, as it is, has yet been enriched by what art 
could do in marble, bronze, granite and landscape decoration, and the sixty- 
live million people of our restored Union have charged themselves with the 
l)erpetual and reverent care of this consecrated ground. And outside of our 
own country, the world over, for all time, the fame of Gettysburg will live. 
The human sympathy in great struggles for li})erty, which has preserved Mara- 
thon twenty-three centuries, will secure this field to the remotest age. 

But as representatives of the sovereign state on whose soil the contlict oc- 
curred, we have an interest more personal than historic. All other states con- 
cede to Pennsylvania a peculiar relation to Gettysburg, it was her territory 
Avhicli was moistened by so much precious blood. It was the only battle fought 
on free soil during the war, and the only great battle ever fought within the 
bounds of tlie Keystone state. It was the only meeting of hostile armies within 
her limits since AVashington, in 1777, led his heroic ]>and against the English 
at Germantown. On the part of Pennsylvania, it was a conflict to protect, 
from immediate capture, her proud cajiital, sitting like a queen on the rippling 
Su.squehanna, and her renowned metropolis, where Independence was first pro- 
claimed. It was natural that Pennsylvania. Avith peerless colonial history, 
and acknowledged pre-eminence in the Revolution, should resist with death- 
less valor, any foe that dared cross her border. And it was a piece of good 
fortune for Pennsylvania, attributable to a favoring Providence, that the Na- 
tional Army at Gettysburg was composed so largely of her troops, aifording 
them the privilege of defending their own state. Her regiments of infantry, 
cavalry and artillery were here to the number of nearly one hundred, and they 
were on all parts of the field, from the magnificent resistance of Buford's 
cavalry and the First Corps, July 1, to the repulse of Pickett. July ?>. That 
they did their whole duty is abundantly attested by the long roll of dead and 
wounded, and the eflfective work aecompli-shed. The most distinguished officer 
killed, the much loved and lamented Maj or-General John F. Reynolds, was 
from Pennsylvania. Right grandly did he defend his native state in the early 
and discouraging part of the liattle. Then came the incomparable Hancock 
and the Commander-in-Chief General Meade, Itoth from the same state. 

The people of Pennsylvania, therefore, have reasons for their determination 
to exhibit to the world the high esteem in which they hold the services of their 
own forces on this memorable field. While fully approving all the nation has 
done, the state adds yet other honors to perpetuate the deeds of her own sons. 
The monument to-day dedicated, is the gift of the State, under a law passed 
no longer ago than June 15, 1887, twenty-four years after the battle. How 
significant was the passage of this law by the men then composing the legisla- 
ture. Some were born after the battle. Many others were school boys when 
the thundering cannonade at Gettysburg was heard over half the State. The 
pure stream of patriotism flowing out from here has spread its benign influence 
all over the State and opened the heart and the purse of a new generation. 

Yet we sustain another and still more intimate relation to this battle-field. 



342 Pennsylvania at GeMysburg. 

To us tliis alm<>sj)luTf is jMrriinifd with i<Moilt;ctioiis of July 2 and ?,. l-<(jr>, Imt 
how fliaiige<l tlio seem-. Tlu> same sua, indeed, shines in the heavens, some of 
the same trees spread their green foliajjeoverus, the same brook rolls its gentle 
flood at our feet, the same rocks, hills, valleys, ravines, greet our vision; the 
same Baltimore pike stretches its white length before us, and the same Taney- 
lown and Emmitsburg roads wind through the same fertile farms and cragged 
glens. .Still, tlit; scene is different. Instead of the deafening roar and din 
of a mighty conflict, all is pea'jc and good will. But our minds and hearts are 
stirred no less than they were twenty-live years ago. Indescribable emotions 
agitate and thrill us as we look abroad over this field to-day, and especially as 
we behold the sjwt where we now are. 

There is, liowever, one feeling which can be expressed. We are thankful to 
realize that no sacrifice was made in vain. Not alone did the cause triumph 
for which we contended, but the Nation, taking new life, has had unparalleled 
growth and pro.sperity. From something ovei thirty million, it has increased 
to sixty-five million of happy, free i>eople, devoted to the I'nion and teadiing 
their children to love liberty and reveres the memory of those who saved the 
Nation in the great civil war. 

IJeturning in 1865 to peaceful pursuits with our fellow-countrymen, most of 
us still young, we lune waged the battle of life for five-sixths of a generation, 
and yet our average age now is not over fifty years. At the same time we are 
as old as the majority of tho.se who served as volunteers in the late war. How 
young then, must have been the lives liere laid on the altar o( lilierty and na- 
tional imity a quarter of a century ago? While the loss was great, can any 
one say the gain was not commensurate? Dare any one say the sacrifice was 
tfK) great, beholding at the same time the splendid republic, washed by two 
oceans, bound together by iron rails, with teeming millions of contented i)eople, 
knowing but one flag, and that the stars and stripes? It is true, the noble 
young men Avho fell here at the average age of twenty-two, gave great promise 
of di.stinguished usefulne.ss in all walks of life; but without the government, 
they and their comrades fought to save, what would life be worth? No one 
would want to live amidst the dissevered fragments of the Union, and no one 
could then look even njwn a picture of the old flag without pangs of remorse 
and bitter humiliation. 

We are not liere, therefore, to bewail the falb-ii as tho.se who fell in vain, nor 
to l)emoan the sacrifices of those who yet live, but rather to honor the .services 
of both on this and other fields of the war. 

.Vs the organization, wbos<», moniiment is lo-day dedicated, beloiig«'(i lo the 
Army of the I'otomac, and shared its exj)erienct' for four years, wi- will con- 
templat* for a while that celebrated army. 

Considering its history from first to bust, no army of which we have any record, 
can l)e compared to it. It exhibited a peculiarity never before witnessed in a 
va.st army, and that was the indestructible pi^rsonality and .spirit of thesoldiers. 
As a whole, in its formative p<>riod at least, it was a i)olitical foot^ball and vic- 
tim of part v intrigue, advt^r.sely ciiticised by the press, sneered at by the other 
armies, and covertly <ensnred by government oflicials. Yet the .soldiers, with 
unsurpassed intelligence, keeping constantly in mind the objetit for which they 
eiili.st<-d. bore tlu'mselves like senators, preserving a dignity and self-re.spect 
which no disaster could aftect. No army of men in the world's history ever 
Hulfcrcd so many defeats and ilisa|i])oi!it mt-iits without losing its martial spirit 



Pe.niisylvanio at (reffyshurfj. 343 

and iM^cominj^ worthless as an <>ij^anizati(n\. In ancient times one defeat in a 
general battle practically ended an army, leaving the survivors utterly discour- 
aged. The famous Roman armies sent against Hannibal were each ruiiu^d in 
a single battle, though only a small j)ro])ortion were killed. Each of the three 
Austrian armies .sent against Napoleon in Italy, were destroyed in a single 
battle, yet not over ten per cent, were killed or .wounded. So it has ever been 
with armies in all countries. The military prestige is all gone after one or two 
defeats. This being true, what will the historian of the future .say of the Army 
of the Potomac ? Look at its battles — r»ull Run, Ball's Bluff, march against 
the wooden guns at Manassas .Junction in the spring of ]8Ci'2] Yorktown, a 
month in the mud; Williamsburg, an obviously unnece.s.sary .sacrifice; Fair 
Oaks, a great battle, only to be lollowed by a month in the Chickahominy 
swamps, and the seven days retreat engagements ending with Malvern Hill. 
Second Bull Run, Chantilly: Antietara, a bloody, but indecisive victory, with 
nothing to encourage soldiers; Fredericksburg, a sacrifice «»f fourteen thou- 
sand men in a movement known to be foolish by half the private soldiers in 
the army; Chancellorsville and second Fredericksburg, costing over sixteen 
thousand more, with no advantage. 

Up to July 1, 1863, the Army of the Potomac, in its thirteen principal en- 
gagements, had lost 92,494 men in battle, of whom 10,r)34 were killed, being 
over seventeen per cent, of all men killed in the entire war. This is not count- 
ing those who fell in minor affairs and skirmishes, nor those who died of dis- 
ease, and leaves out entirely the losses sustained in the ill-starred (iampaign of 
General Pope, and the fruitless Shenandoah movements. Behold then an army 
that had fought thirteen pitched battles, losing in the aggregate as many effec- 
tive men in actual contest as it ever had at any one time, marched and counter- 
marched through three states, always facing the enemy, never achieving any 
substantial success; and yet its ardt>r was unimpaired. This army was now 
called to meet the best and largest force ever mu.stered by the Confederacy, not 
in the enemy's country, but far in the interior of Penn.sylvania. But this is 
not all. The rebels were flushed with a recent victory, and two years' expe- 
rience had convinced that armv it was unconquerable. Nor can we stop here. 
The concentrated ambiticm and hate of a century was in the rebel army. It 
was determined to go to Harrisburg, Baltimore, cut off Washington and dictate 
terms of peace from the steps of Independence Hall at Philadelphia. It had 
boundless confidence in its leaders and in the efficiency of its organization. 

On the contrary, the Army of the Potomac scarcely knew who its commander 
•was, for no order had been read to the troops relieving Hooker, or appointing 
Meade. McDowell, McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, had all lailed and no one 
expected anything great from Meade. If the troops had been consulted they 
would have appointed Hancock, the very man whom Meade himself considered 
the great general of the army, and selected to direct the battle. According to 
all teaching of military history, the Army of the Potomac was doomed to cer- 
tain defeat at Gettysburg. The chances appeared to be a hundred to one 
against it. If anything was needed to make its defeat beyond a perad venture 
it was furnished by the government in the change of commanders, three days 
before the battle, when the armies were actively feeling for each other. The 
removal half severed the hair suspending the sword of Damocles. But history 
will have to reconstruct its theories. It will be compelled to record that the 
Army of the Potomac presented features hitherto unheard of in martial orjjaniza- 



344 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

lions. The liistorian will lind the exphuuition in tlie cliaracter of the private 
soldiers and subordinate officers of the line. These men had not taken up arms 
for notliing, nor had lliey been following a great, dazzling leader, as willing 
instruments in his hands. They had the conviction which moves the patriot 
as well as the dauntle.ss courage of the tried soldier. The desperate forces of 
treason surged and dashed against them in vain. They stood their ground, 
and the proud foe retreated never again to set foot on free .soil. 

It is not possible to give a history of the battle, but justice to the Arm}- of 
the Potomac requires a few statements. On the first day our forces were greatly 
out-numbered by the enemy. Then Reynolds, the commander, was killed in 
the Ibrenoon and by the time Doubleday, who succeeded him, got his forces 
well in hand, and Avas doing good work as mortal man ever did under like dif- 
liculties, he, in turn, was succeeded by Howard, in virtue of seniority. How- 
ard, Avith iradequate knowledge ol tlie situation, made some movements, but 
he was soon relieved by Hancock, Avho came on the Held, representing General 
Meade. In the face of so many changes, the marvel is that the army was not 
completely crushed . 

On the second day the enemy had the advantage in numbers and the enthu- 
siasm arising from victory, as thousands of Union pri-soners had been captured 
and marched to the rear through the Confederate lines. 

By a mistake, the Third Corps, under Sickles, was placed in an advanced 
and untenable position at the famous Peach Orchard, which the enemy at- 
tacked, carried, and was only prevented from driving the lett of the arm.v >llt' 
thelield by the timely arrival of the Sixth Corps. During the thii'd day the 
battle raged, at different points, all day except a short time prior to the great 
charge, say from 12 m. to 1 p. m. Then ensued the most stupendous cannon- 
ade ever heard in the new world; a roar which shook the earth, and was heard 
nearly two hundred miles to the west and northwest. After the cannonade, 
when the enemy supposed the Union lines were shattered, came the fierce as- 
sault on our left center, l)y about 20,000 of the best troops in the Confederate 
army. 

The charge, though conducted Avith uncommon bravery, Avas met by the 
dauntless blue lines and repulsed Avith such terrible loss to the enemy that he 
gave up and abandoned the field. This great chaige, its n-pulse and the fight- 
ing which then occurred, showed the very acme of human courage on both 
.sides. Intrepidity could do no more. The division of Pickett, leading the 
assault, Avas practically annihilated. 

In the entire battle the Army of the Potomac exhibited a steadiness in move- 
ments, a firmness in maintaining positions, and a gallantry in actual contact 
with the enemy, never surj)as.sed by an army, and this is the testimony of all 
.Xmerican as well as foreign Avriters on the subject. If that army liad fought 
no other l»attl(', its fame woidd have been secure. Put after Gettysburg it 
fought thirty-eight battles, losing on the field no less than 280,65(j, of Avhom 
:i:>,(;!)l were killed. 

According to official statistical record, the Army of the Potomac from first to 
last, in its fifty-one battles, lost 32,268 killed, 256,880 Avounded and 69,597 
prisoners, a grand total ol 367,295. By disease it lost, on the usual estimate, 
at least 62,000 more, avIio actually died in tin; service, making the total num- 
ber of deaths 91,000. and aggregate loss, so far as .shown by accessible records, 
of '129.295. I'liil to t liis iiumlKM should be added those who were discharged 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 345 

for disability, ari.siufi iVoiu disease contracted in tlie service. Of such there 
must have been enough to swell the total loss to half a million, not (counting 
losses in small affairs and skirmislies. One other fact should he mentioned, 
not as a complaint, but as an incident, relating to the Army of the Potomac. 

During the war. Congress, beginning with December 24, 1861, and ending 
with March 3, 186"), passed fifteen joint resolutions, expressing thanks of the 
nation to various officers and armies, and providing special honors for them. 
Yet the Army of the Potomac was never mentioned except once, January 28, 
1864, when the three names, selected for honor, were not the men entitled 
thereto, in the estimation of that army, and therefore, the resolution did more 
harm than good. 

Here then was an ('xami)le of pure patriotism. An army, battling with the 
flower of the Confederacy, defending the national capitol, suffering unpre- 
cedented losses which are unavailing through various causes, ignored by Con- 
gress, whose sessions were held within the sound of its cannon, and whose laws 
derived all their effect from its power, still maintaining the conflict until the 
last enemy of the republic was killed or captured. 

The fame of the Army of the Potomac must constantly increase as its services 
are better understood, as was said of illustrious heroes of old: "Far reaching, 
bright shining, through ether, to heaven, ascending.'' 

The Army of the Potomac, like other Union and Confederate armies, was 
divided into corps. But so many changes occurred, from time to time, in the 
troops that only a few corps, as such, acquired special honor on account of 
fighting qualities. One of the few, having a special and distinct fame, was the 
"old Sixth," as it was affectionately called. It was organized under an order 
of President Lincoln, dated July 32, 1862. and remained with few changes 
until June 28, 186.5. Included in that corps, from first to last, was the Sixty- 
first Pennsylvania, and what is said ot the corps will apply also to the regi- 
ment. The Sixth Corps, besides taking a most conspicuous part in every 
movement of the Army of the Potomac, had some striking and dramatic experi- 
ences of its own. It was the famous Vermont brigade of the Sixth Corps that 
was sent to New York to quell the riots in 1863, and it was the commander of 
that fighting brigade who, when complaint was made by the New York au- 
thorities that his men fired bullets instead of blank cartridges at riot prisoners, 
on attempting to escape, replied, "My men never learned how to fire blank 
cartridges." On September 16. 1863, at Culpeper Court House, the Sixty-first 
Pennsylvania turned out and presented arms to the Vermonters on their return 
from New York. This .shows the generous spirit always a feature of the Sixth 
Corps. It was the Sixth Corps alone that fought and won the second battle of 
Fredericksburg, while the remainder of the army was at Chancellorsville; that 
fought the battle of Salem church, losing in l>oth battles over twenty per cent, 
of its entire force. 

It was the Second Division, Sixth Corps, that fought the brilliant and bloody 
battle at Fort Stevens, July 12, 1864, under the eye of President Lincoln and 
his cabinet, in the very suburbs of Washington. In this battle the Sixty-first 
Pennsylvania was one of the six regiments making the successful charge on 
Early's position, and its commander, Colonel Cro.sby, lost an arm. In fact 
every regiment in that charge lost its commander. The Sixth Corps then went 
to the Shenandoah Valley and won fadeless renown with Sheridan. At the 
battle of Cedar Creek, while Sheridan was making his immortal ride from Win- 



346 Pennsylvamn tit (Tettyshurtj. 

clu'ster. the Sixlli Corps kept up llie tight, swinging around like :i giite on its 
hinges to meet tile enemy, after the left Hank of the army had been turned. 
It was on the nnconiiuerable lines of the Sixth Corps, then redueed to ;i mere 
handful of men. that Sheridan rallied his shuttered army, and it was a charge 
from the Sixth ('orps and Custer's Cavalry that .started the enemy on the run 
and inaugurated the movements ending in the crnshing defeat of the rebel 
army. General Slieridau. after the surrender of the French army, at Metz, 
being on the ground, paid a high compliment to the Sixth Corps by remarking 
to Prince Frederick (Jharles. the (rernian commander, that he (Sheridan) could 
have cut his way out of Met/ with <»ne division of the Sixth Corps. The 
French had 172,(t0(l men. It was reserved tor the Sixth Corps, under the im- 
mediate direction of Ceneral (Jrant, to make the tinal assault at Petersburg and 
break the rebel lines on April 'i. 1865, starting Lee's army lor Appomattox. 
It was also the Second Division and Third Brigade which led that charge, and 
the Sixty-first Penu.sylvania was in the center and hottest part of the battle, 
losing its colonel. The Sixth Corps did most of the lighting at Sailor'.s Creek, 
the last hard battle of the war. After the surrender of l.ee tlie Sixth Corp.s 
was immediately started to join Sherman and aid in finishing .Johnston's army, 
but only rea<!hed Danville before .Johnston capitulated. 

The Sixth Corps was not present at the grand review in .May. iMd."). at Wash- 
ington, but had a .separate review by the President afterwards, and ended its 
existence June 28. 186."). Stevens, the hi.storian of the Sixth Corps, says " it 
was the grandest corps that ever faced a foe."' 

The regiment, whose .services we are to-day commemorating, fitly represents 
the State of Pennsylvania, the Sixth Corps and the Army of the Potomac. 
More than any other regiment it presents the true type and average character 
of the Keystone soldiers. Avho volunteered for three years in 1861. This is true 
becau.se it was raised in difi'erent parts of the State, and iTiclnded all classes in 
its ranks. Company A was recruited in the northern part of Indiana county, 
on the skirts of the AUeghenies. from hardy farmers and bold lumbermen of 
that locality. Five companies. R. (!, F, F and K, were raised in and about 
Pittsburg, from the enterprising manufacturers, merchants, mechanics, iron 
workers, coal operators. Imatmen and other brave men of the Union-loving 
region. Company D was raised in Luzerne coimty, the neighborhood of hard 
coal, where the beautiful valley of Wyoming recalls sad and bloody massacres 
by English and Indians a century ago. The company was composed of intel- 
ligent, stout men of all trades and callings. The other three companies, G, H 
and I. were rai.sed in Philadelphia; the patriotic city of brotherly love, of wo- 
manly .sympathy, ol" cliivalrons generosity, whose motto of "hot cofi'ee free for 
viilunteers " was known and read of all men. The pride of every Pennsyl- 
vanian, the inspiration of all friends of liberty, etiuality and Fnion. the 
home of unpretentious refinement and culture, the abode and patron of art, the 
seat of unostentatious wealth and diversified industry, the paradise for every 
wounded .soldier. The.s«; three companies were in all things worthy of the city 
they represented. They furnished the regiment three colonels and two lieu- 
tenant-colonels in less than three years' time. 

The regiment. ;ls a whole, coniliined every element of iiiilitai\ slren^tli. It 
c<mld build bridges, lay out an<l make roads, plan and construct forts as well 
as maki- long marches and fight battles by day and night 

The Sixty-lirsl was fortunate in having lor its first colonel a veteran of the 



Pennsylvania at Gettijf^hurg. 347 

Mexican war, who had also btu'ii in the thut- months' sfr\ icf. .\. patriot, an 
orator, a model soldier was Oliver H. Kipi)ey. from Pittsburg, whose eommis- 
sioQ was issued twenty-seven yeai-s ago to-day. His command, the Sixty-tirst, 
was soon organized and in September, 1861, moved into Virginia near Alexan- 
dria, joining the Army of the Potomac, whose t'ortunes it shared, without inter- 
ruption, to the end of the war. 

If it is true that the Army of the Potomac deserves the place in history which 
has been indicated, and that the Sixth t'orps in the amount and variety of its 
services, ranks .so high in that army, then, indeed, is the record of the Sixty- 
first Pennsylvania, a proud one tocontemphite. Only one regiment in the Sixth 
Corps had more men killed in action during the war than the Sixty-tirst, and 
only seven regiments in the five hundred or more in the Army of the Potomac, 
had more men killed in any one action. But the Sixty-first has a broader re- 
putation than the army or the corps with which it served. Lieutenant-Colonel 
\Vm. F. Fox has been examining the record of all Union regiments and gives 
the result in an interesting article in the May Ceniur;/, 1888. His tables show 
that the Sixty-first Pennsylvania, in the numVjer of officers killed in action, 
stands first in the entire Federal army, also that it stands eleventh in the num- 
ber killed in any one action in the Union army, and fifteenth in the total nuni- 
l>er killed during the war. 

It is worthy of remark thai the fourteen other regiments having greater total 
losses than the Sixty-first, every one, belonged to the Array of the Potomac. It 
is also worthy of note that forty out of the forty-five regiments sustaining the 
heaviest losses in killed during the war, belonged to the Army of the Potomac. 
It is worthy of still further mention that out of the torty-five honored regi- 
ments, eleven belonged to Pennsylvania. 

The aggregate loss in the Sixty-first Penn.sylvania Volunteers is frightful for 
any one regiment. It had nineteen officers and two hundred and thirty-five 
men killed in battle, twenty -seven officers and six hundred and ten men 
wounded. One officer and one hundred and seven men died of disease, mak- 
ing total killed, wounded and died of disease nine hundred and ninety-nine. 
In the whole Federal army, on an average, two died of disease for every one 
killed, but in the Sixty-first nearly an average of three were killed to one dying 
of disease. 

It is not possible to give a history of the Sixty-first in less than a volume, 
nor is it necessary in order to appreciate the character of the regiment. Ky ex- 
perienced military men, three tests are applied to troops: Firmness in remain- 
ing where they are placed, gallantry in a.s.sault and .steadiness when surprised. 
Let these tests be applied to the Sixty-first, in three actions, each furnishing a 
fiiir trial of its firmness, gallantry and steadiness. 

At Fair Oaks, May 31, 1802, a large Confederate army attacked the Fourth 
Corps of the Army of the Potomac with a view of capturing or destroying it 
l)efore General McClellan could move reinforcements across the swollen Chick- 
ahominy. The Sixty-first, alter standing in line for hours, was led forward 
into the woods, by General Couch in person, to meet the enemy, advancing in 
strong force. Directly the rebels were met marching by the flank. When the 
c-olumns had approached near each other the rebels went "right by file into 
line," and the Sixty -first filed right and moved its entire length parallel to 
the Confederate line, and faced to the front, the lines beingabout two hundred 
feet apart. Then at the word of command from the colonel the regiment 



348 Pennsylvania at Geffyshurg. 

opened a point l>lank lire. At the same instant the enemy opened and a deadly 
struggle hegau. The Sixty -lirst had no support on its right, and the Union 
troops on the left were soon driven hack, leaving one regiment to contend 
against a line of hattle out-flanking it on either side. But the Sixty-lirst did 
not stop to calculate. It poured in a continuous fire. The rebel line was re- 
inforced time and again and Anally worked around on the right and left, ojien- 
ing an enlilading lire, and yet the Sixty-first maintained its ground. 

The brave Colonel Kippey was killed. Lieutenant-Colonel Spear and Major 
Smith were wounded. Still the men kept \ip the light until an order was 
passed along the lines to fall back. "When the order was given, and not till 
then, the iininjured men started back. Tliey found the rebels on their right 
and left closing rapidly the small gap left for escape. Disregarding all de- 
mauds for surrender they rushed past and through the rebel lines reaching the 
second Union position in small groups. 

On moving back the Sixtj^-first left on its line ninet^'-one killed, including 
its colonel, and over two hundred Avounded, including Lieutenant-Colonel Spear 
and Major Smith, both being captured. During this engagement the men of 
the Sixty-first lired thirty-seven rounds apiece. Toward the clo.se hot muskets 
burned the soldiers' hands into blisters. After retiring, remnants of the Sixty- 
lirst without field officers, part under command of Captain Jacob Creps of Com- 
pany A, and part at another point under Captain afterwards Colonel Robert L. 
Orr, joined the second line and aided in the final repulse of the Confederate 
army. No prisoners were taken from the Sixty-first except the wounded who 
were unable to leave the field. 

Passing oyer a whole year of hard lighting and marching, another engage- 
ment will be noticed, illustrating gallantry. On Sunday morning. May 'A, 
18015, as beautiful a morning as ever smiled on liumanity, the Sixty -first headed 
a charge on Marye's Heights, at Fredericksburg, across the canal bridge march- 
ing by the Hank in column of fours. It was exactly like Napoleon's famous 
charge across ].,odi bridge. The Confederate forts were on the heights in full 
view a quarter of a mile away, with lines of rifie pits in front. As soon as the 
regiment started over the bridge double quick, the rebels ran cannon out into 
the road and fired directly into the head of the column, the grape sweeping 
through the ranks for the whole length of the Sixty-first, and even into the 
troops behind it. At the same time artillery opened from the forts, raining 
grape and canister like hail upon the advancing force, and the rifle })its in front. 
and on both flanks were a sheet of flame. Just as the line, left in front, 
reached the Confederate side of the luidge Colonel Spear, while gallantly lead- 
ing the column, was killed. Others, familiar Avith the movements then to be 
made, were also killed or disabled, and no one remained to give any command 
how to deploy the line or what to do. It being impo.ssible to move further by 
the flank, some of the men went to the right, others to the left, and in a few 
seconds the supporting regiments came forward and the works Avere (;arried. 
In the assault all the confidence of the commanding general shown in .select- 
ting the Sixty-first to lead the column Avas justified, and no charge during the 
war Avas lictter suited to test the gallantry of a regiment. 

After tlie t(;rrible experiences of the Wilderness and night marches follow- 
ing, on another Sunday, May H, 1804, the Sixty-first stood in line of battle near 
the far-famed " bloody angle,'" at Spot.sylvania Court House. About sundown 
the regiment was ordered forwaid tln-ough the Avoods. but cautioned to be care- 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 349 

lul, as lour lines of Union troops were ahead. I'roceeding slowly so as to keep 
the alignment, the Sixty-tirst descended into a gloomy and thickly wooded 
ravine, crossed a small brook and began moving up on the other side. Twi- 
light was rapidly deepening into darkness when suddenly a rebel line of battle 
appeared, close in front, as if dropped from the clouds. A Confederate oflicer 
seized the flag of the Si.xtj^-lirst and demanded instant surrender; the color ser- 
geant held on while the bold rebel was caught by otKcers of the Sixty-tirst and 
made a prisoner. Sergeant Brady of Company A was shot dead by a rebel, 
who in turn was shot and bayoneted by Jno. E. Allison of Company A. A 
battle was then commenced so quickly that officers had no time to give com- 
mands. Every man in the regiment, as if propelled by machinery, went 
straight for the rebels in front of him. Officers used their swords and revol- 
vers, while the men, after firing one .shot, took their bayonets or used their 
guns as clubs, dispersing the enemy as police scatter a mob. When the tight 
ended it was pitch dark, and no Union troops to be found on the right or left. 
The Sixty-first put out its pickets and lay on its arms imtil daylight. About 
midnight Colonel Smith sent Adjutant ^Yilson to find brigade headquarters. 
The Adjutant proceeded a short distance to the rear and then toward the right. 
While groping his way through the dark woods a sentinel challenged him, and 
almost immediately fired instantly killing the Adjutant. Other thrilling in- 
cidents occurred, but the Sixty-first came out the next morning with little loss 
and with undimished intrepidity. 

That day, May 9, 1864, the regiment with the army and the Nation was 
called upon to mourn the loss of a great and beloved soldier, Major-General 
John Sedgwick, commander of the Sixth Corps, who was killed on the front 
line of his corps. 

These three severe tests demonstrate that the Sixty-first Pennsylvania Vol- 
unteers had all the high qualities which distinguished the most famous sol- 
diers of the world, the firmness of Alexander's phalanx, the steadiness of 
Cicsar's legion and the gallantry of Napoleon's battalion. 

It only remains to describe the part taken in this battle by the Sixty-first 
Pennsylvania Volunteers. The official reports are meagre. Many maps and 
diagrams show the whole Sixth Corps massed in rear of Little Round Top 
marked " reserve," a position the corps never occupied for a moment. 

In order to a full appreciation of the services of the Sixty -first here, it is es- 
sential to go back twenty-four hours. On the evening of July 1, the Sixth 
Corps was at Manchester, Maryland, thirty-eight miles away, to the south- 
east, on the extreme right of the army. After dark the corps was put in mo- 
tion for Gettysburg. But over fifteen miles of trains headed toward Baltimore 
blocked the way, and had to be turned in the opposite direction. All night 
long the men were on their feet marching a little at a time and then waiting 
while the obstructions were being removed. By day-light, July 2, not over 
half a dozen miles had been made, yet with a gun, forty rounds of cartridge and 
other necessary equipage to carry or hold, the experience had been enough to 
weary the toughest veterans. The sun was well up over the trees before the 
road was cleared. After stopping ten minutes for breakfast began the great 
march, which has so justly distinguished the Sixth Corps. 

The battle was raging thirty-four miles away. The enemy was concentrated 
and the absorbing question was whether the Sixth Corps could arrive in time 
to be of service. Could the soldiers, or even the horses, after moving all night, 



350 Peimsylrnnia at (retfysbnrg. 

march Ihirty-ibur miles more along a du.stv load. rtmier a .sc!on;hiug Juh isnn, 
earrying everything that must accompany an army to make it elVective, and if 
the marcli could ])ossibly be made would the corps ))e in a condition to render 
any aid after reaching the lield? Tliese were questions agitating the comman- 
der of the army, and tlie l)rave and sturdy leader of the Sixth Corps. 

Most of th«' march wa,s to be along the old Baltimore pike, paved with broken 
white limestone, Avhich long use had ground into powder. The road ran in a 
stniight direction, up hill and down, through a beautiful and fertile country; 
"sweet fields arrayed in living green "' were beheld on every hand. The sun, 
warm at the beginning, grew hotter and more piercing every hour and his rays 
gathered fresh force as they were reflected from the hard road. Toward noon 
the radiating heat could l)e observed in waves, like colorless clouds, floating 
from the earth and mingling with the tine dust created by the moving column. 

The Sixth Corps then consisted of thirty-six regiments of infantry, eight bat- 
teriesof artillery, and two companies of cavalry, numbering in all about 18,000 
men. When stretched along a single load, exclusive of trains, except those 
«-arrying ammunition, the corps was over ten miles long, and was in itself a 
larger army than was ever marshaled on American soil prior to 1861. This 
<orps was then the largest of the seven in the Army of the Potomac, and was 
equipped to tight a great battle alone, as it had done two months before at 
Fredericksburg and Salem Church, while the balance of the army wa.s at Chan- 
<ellorsville. During July 2, while this famous march was in progress, the men 
knew nothing of any battle having been fought on the day before, but each 
believed something of va.st moment was at hand in which the Sixth Corps 
would probably take an independent part. Yet but little wa.s said as the blue 
line moved forward, V>earing the (Jreck cross along with the stars and stripes. 
No halt, no dinner, no command, no in<lication of any enemy, nt) roar of battle. 
!is the wind carried the sound in other direction.s. 

From^ven o'clock in the morning, until three o'clock in the afternoon, tlie 
march was one steady swing and tramp, with no stimulation or event of any 
kind to awaken special enthusiasm. P.ut at that time, miles ahead on the .side 
ot the mountain which had long bee?» in sight, shells were seen bursting high 
in the air, with red angry flashes. Soon smoke was ob.served curling along 
above the trees and floating away to the n<trth, and yet up to this time not a 
cannon had been heard. .\ow the rapid step was yet quickened, the gun was 
not so heavy, the cartridge box pulled down less than before, the end was at 
hand. On and on moved the column. Directly the familiar roar of battle be- 
gan to be heard indistinctly, then louder and more continuous. Amlnilances 
cam*' in long white proce.ssiou, and wounded men streaming back with other 
immistakable indications of a bloody conflict. Still the Sixth Corps pres.sed 
on, stopping for nothing until the rear of liittle ]\ound Toj) was reached. Here 
was a halt, the lirst in ten hours. 

At this moment the roar of musketry was awful })eyond description, and the 
whole valley trembled with th«^ thunder ol" artillery. Little Round Top wa.s 
blazing, smoking, quaking like an active volcano. The arrival of the Sixth 
Corps so .soon w;is a surj)rise to l)oth friend and foe. .\n incident is related by 
Charles Carlton Coffin, presenting a striking .scene at General Meade's head- 
quarters JUS the Sixth C<jrps came in .sight. The movement of the column was 
HO fa-st that it wa.s believed to be cavalry. 'J'he author .says: " I was at Meades 
hejMl<iuarteis: the roar of battle was louderand grew iieaier: Hill was threaten- 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 351 

ing the center; a cloud of dust could be seen down the Baltinaore Piko. Had 
Stuart suddenly gained our rear? There were anxious countenances around 
the cottage where the Hag ol' th*; commander-in-chief was Hying. ( )fficers gazed 
with their field glasses. " It is not cavalry, but infantry.' said one, ' there is 
the flag, it is the Sixth Corps." AVe could see the advancing bayonets gleam- 
ing in the sunlight. Faces whicli a moment before were grave became cheer- 
Ail. It Avas an inspiring sight. The corps crossed Kock Creek, tiled into the 
field, threw themselves >ipon the ground, tossed aside their knapsacks, and 
wiped the sweat from their sunburnt cheeks." 

The author, after describing some other stirring movements then in pro- 
gre.s.s. continues: "At the same time an officer rode down to the Sixth Corps. 
1 saw the tired and weary men rise' from the ground and fall into line. They 
moved ol!' ujwn the run towards Weed's Hill (T.ittle Round Topi, which was 
all aflame. The dark lines of the Sixth Corps became lost to sight as they 
move<l into the woods cniwniug the hill. There were quiciker volleys, a light- 
ing up of the sky by sudden flashes, followed by a «;heer. I.ongstreet gave up 
the struggle and fell back.'' 

Stevens, the Sixth Corps historian, describes the .same movement, as fol- 
lows: ''On receiving orders as.signing our position, and the information that 
our presence was actually needed, the three divisions were moved simulta,ne- 
ously at double quick, in parallel lines, and arrived on the line of battle at the 
critical moment, just as the rebels, flushed with victory, were penetrating our 
lines to the right of Round Top. Owing to the direction in which we ap- 
proached, little more was necessary than to halt the lines and face to the right 
to bring three lines of battle facing the enemy's advance, and to close the gap 
made by the rebel onslaught."' "'The volley from our front line,"' .says Gen- 
eral "Wright. ■• was i>erliaps the heaviest ] have ever heard, and it had the ef- 
fect not only of checking the triumphant advan«re. but of throwing his ranks 
into the utmost confusion." 

The movements of the Sixth Corps on July 2, 18G3, are such as to challenge 
the admiration of mankind. Its maje.stic tread on the battle field, at the 
supreme moment, after such a memorable march, will resound through the 
ages. It was the realization, the emlx>diment of the sublimest figure of inspired 
poetry, " terrible as an army with banners.'" became in fact " a terrible army 
with banners." the Greek cross floating over it, and the Greek fire like that 
which could not be extinguished at Salamis, burning within it. 

The Sixth Corps, after aiding in tlie repulse at Little Round Top, was sep- 
arated and used to patch up weak places in the lines, and was moved from 
place to plat^e, in brigades, regiments and even battalions, during the remain- 
der of the fight. For a long time, during July :>. one brigade of the Sixth 
Corps, the Vermonters, held the extreme left of the army at Round Top, and 
another, the Third, the extreme right at Wolf's Hill. 

In the Third brigade. Second division. Sixth Corps, was the Sixty-first Penn- 
sylvania, whose movements will now be described. The regiment was then 
under command of Major George W. Dawson. It occupied four different places 
in the lines. First in the evening <tf July 2. to the right of Round Top, with 
the corjis in its first movement again.st and repulse of Longstreet; second, later 
the .same evening, after stopping awhile in Hancock's line on Cemetery Ridge, 
took position in the woods to the right of Gulp's Hill; third, at Wolfs Hill, on 
the extreme right of the army connecting with the cavalry. Here four com- 



352 PeMiai/ivania at Gettijf<bur<j. 

panics, under Captain Creps, were on the picket line all day on the iJd, con- 
tinually engaged with the enemy, the balance of the regiment being in the 
front line on the northerly slope of Wolf's Hill; fourth, about noon, and dur- 
ing the lull which preceded the great cannonade, that part of the regiment not 
on the picket line moved to Cemetery Kidge and took position in front of 
Meade's headquarters, where it remained until about six o'clock. Then after 
the repulse of Pickett, and termination of the battle, the Sixty-first marched 
back again to WoU's iiill and remained there until the morning of July 5. 

By this description it Avill be seen that the Sixty -first marched four to six 
miles after reaching the battlefield on July 2, which, added to its long march 
made nearly forty miles for the day. Besides, a part of the regiment remained 
on duty all night and began fighting at break of day, July 3. 

It is not possible or necessary to give further details, though the speaker can- 
not close without referring to the scene on Cemetery Ridge during the artillery 
firing and the assault which followed. For a few minutes after the Sixty-first 
fovnied its line all was silent. Then a rebel signal gun was fired to the north 
on Seminary Hill. Instantly the whole line of rebel guns, one hundred and 
thirty-eight iu number, joined in the cannonade. All the guns northeast, north 
and northwest concentrated their fii-e on Cemetery Ridge. Every size and form 
of missile known to gunnery crashed, shrieked, whirled, moaned and whistled 
along the ridge, splintering trees, bounding from rocks, smashing wagons, dis- 
abling guns, tearing through the house at Aleade's headquarters and plowing 
up the ground in all directions. It is said they came six in a second. The 
roar at first was deafening, but became awful when over a hundred Union guns 
replied firing from all the hills on the line. The earth shook and it seemed 
from the sulphureous smoke and flame and thunder that the last day had ar- 
rived. At this moment the reserve ai-tillery of the Union army, eighty guns, 
came into position along Cemetery Ridge, making the most sublime and excit- 
ing spectacle ever witnessed by the speaker. Soon the firing of cannon ceased 
on the enemy's side, and on came their bold charge accompanied with wild yells 
extending a mile or more along their serried ranks. The moment was thril- 
ling. It was the high water mark of Rebellion and made an epoch iu human 
destiny. The Union lines were immovable, the as.sailauts were crushed. 

From that moment the Nation was saved and consecrated anew for coming 
ages. Americans the next day adopted the motto: 

" All honor to the heroic living:, 
All gloi-y to the jjallaut dead." 

The monument this day dedicated speaks to the living and for the dead. 
When the living shall have joined their comrades in the deathless world, the 
memorial will proclaim to descendants of those who formed the Sixty-first 
Pennsylvania Volunteers, the imperisliable honor here and elsewhere achieved 
by that regiment, and when its monument here and other memorials on this 
most renowned battlefield of the ages, sliall have crumbled to atoms, every 
lover of liberty will yet crown with unfading laurels and burnish with immor- 
tal luster the memory ol the gallant and dauntless men who won freedom's 
battle at Gettvsbur<r. 



Pemisylranla af Gc/f//sJ)ur(/. 853 



OFFICIAL RECORD SIXTY-FIRST PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS. 

Oliver H. Kippey was commissioned Colonel of the Sixly-lirst Pennsylvania 
Volunteers, July 24, 1861. Companies A, from Indiana county, B, C, K, F 
and K, from Allegheny county, were recruited and started for the front within 
thirty days thereafter. Subsequently companies 13, from Luzerne county, and 
G, H and I, from Philadelphia, were added, making a full regiment. 

The Sixty-first was stationed first at Camp Advance, south of the Potonuut, 
where it helped to build Fort Lyon. 

The regiment was commanded at different times during its four years of ser- 
vice by Colonels Oliver H. Kippey, George C. Spear, George F. Smith and 
Eobert L. Orr; by Lieutenant Colonels John W. Crosby and Charles S. Greene; 
Major George ^V. Dawson and by Captain Jacob C'reps. and others I'or short 
periods. 

The regiment served in the brigades, divisions and corps following: 

Casey's Provisional Brigade, Division of the Potomac, September-October, 
1861; Third brigade Third division, Armyof the Potomac, October, 1861-March, 
1862; First brigade. First division. Fourth Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, 
March to September, 1862; First brigade. Third division. Sixth Army Corps, 
Army of the Potomac, September, 1862-February. 186.';; Light brigade. Sixth 
Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, February 2-May 11, 1863; Third brigade, 
Second division. Sixth Army Corps, Army of the I'otomac, May, 1863- June, 
1865. 

The regiment, besides innumerable skirmishes, took part in the following 
battles: Fair Oaks, Charles City Cross Roads, Turkey Bend, Malvern Hill, 
Antietam, Fredericksburg, Marye's Heights, (2d Fredericksburg), Salem Church, 
Gettysburg, Rappahannock Station, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North AuTia, 
Cold Harbor, siege and battles around Petersburg, Fort Stevens (at Washing- 
ton, D. C), Winchester, Opequou, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek ("Sheridan's 
Ride" battle. In this battle the regiment lost all its commissioned officers 
coming out with only eighty-six men), two assaults at Petersburg, breaking 
through the rebel line April 2, 1865, and finally the regiment fired its last shot 
at Sailor's Creek, April 6, and was mustered out June 28, 1865. 

The regiment lost more officers killed in battle than any other regiment in 
the Union army during the nvar. 

It lost in battle, killed, nineteen officers, two hundred and thirty -five men; 
wounded, twenty -seven officers and six hundred and ten men; died ofdisea.se, 
one officer and one hundred and seven men; total, nine hundred and ninety- 
nine killed, wounded, and died of disease; besides two hundred and one men 
were discharged on account of disease contracted in the service, making a grand 
total of twelve hundred. 



23 



354 Pt-nnsyh-nnia af (Tctfy.shnrg. 

DKDK ATION OK MONUMENT 

62° REGIMENT INFANTRY 

(SEPTEMBKK II, 1SS9). 
AlJlJRKSS OF CAPTAIN W. J. PATTKRSON 

COMRADES: — i^ettysbnry takes distinguished rank as one of the great 
battles ill the liistoiy of warfare. Tlie vital interests that hung in the 
lialanc-e. the gallantry of the, opposing armies, the number of men en- 
gaged and the abilities of tin; leaders, all combined to make this field 
one of the grandest that was ever baptized with the blood of valor. To under- 
stand its importance to the I'liion cause we must remember that the darkest 
hour of the war was uix)n us. The Union arms hiid signally failed almost under 
the .sliadow of the nation's capitol. Tlie disaster of Fredericksburg had been 
followed by the defeat of Chancellorsville. The administration was discour- 
aged and the people of tlie North di.sheartened. The martial spirit of the young 
men of the loyal states seemed to be exhausted and the unpopular method of 
the draft had to be enlbrced to fill up our ranks. The clouds of adversity cast 
a gloom of despondency' over the north which threatened to eclipse the light 
of patriotism in our fair land. The South was correspondingly elated. The 
Army of Northern Virginia was the hope and pride of secession. The supreme 
opportunity of the struggling cause was at hand. The leaders were filled with 
renewed confidence ; "change the war from a defensive to an aggressive one." 
they exclaimed. "" Make the North feel the crushing eftects of its iron heel on 
her own soil, and the fiag of truce would soon take the place o( the relentless 
ensigns of Ijattle, and the olive brancli of peace? would eventually float over a 
triumphant confederacy. ' ' 

Tile leaders londly hoped, too, if invasion proved successful, foreign inter- 
vention would step in to their assistance and victory at last crown their eftbrts. 
The vision was not an unreasonable one and th(; plans were well laid. General 
Lee, at the head of the flower of the South, the veterans of the Army of North- 
ern Virginia, was entrusted with this weighty movement. He promptly turned 
his columns north and crossed the Potomac into Maryland. His advance divi- 
.sions penetrated Pennsylvania as far as Wrightsville, on the Susquehanna 
river. But the leach'rs ol" the South had yet much to learn of northern patriot- 
ism and northern bravery. That gallant and sjiirited old Army of the Potomac 
wsus to cover itsell with new glory. The eycis of the whole country were uj)on 
it. While it had been defeated and batllcil ami iiiismanaged. it never lacked 
patrirjtism and l)ravery of the highest tyjK . It always had its face to the foe. 
From Yorktown to Appomattox it never failed logixebhnv Ibrlilow. No army 
in the world was better organized, better disitijilincd, or better otficered with 
skilful leaders. Its morale could not be excelled. Competent authoi it\ pro- 
nounced it the youngest and most intelligent ])ody of men ever gathered loget liir 
in the military service. Tlie average age ol its members at the close of the ^^ ar 
was under twenty-live jears. Many who are now serving on the bench, in the 
j)ulj)it and in the legislative halls of the state and nation, marched in its ranks 
a.s private soldiers. (Jeneral Lee's movements wer(> closely followed. Thice 
days before the battle (ieneial Meade a.ssum«'d command of th«; Army of the 





PHOTO. BY W. H. TIPTON, GtTTYSBU 



PHINT: THE F. GUTEKUNST CO.,PHILA. 



Pennsylvania af Gettysburg. 355 

Potomac. The Union loni's jmslied I'orwanl iiilo IViiii.sN ivaiiia, and early on 
the morning of July 1, the enemy-.s skirmishers were encountered al Marsli 
Creek, near the Chambersburg ])ikc, on wliich tJeneral Hill's corps was mov- 
ing east. A severe battle was fought, in which the Union troops were over- 
powered and driven back at all ])oints in considerable disorder. About 4 o'clock 
General Hancock arrived on the Held and directed the movements for the final 
stiind that was made on East Cemetery Hill. On the report of General Han- 
cock, General Meade decided to order up the remainder of the army for a gen- 
eral battle al G('ttysl)urg. Orders were sent out hurrying forward all the 
troops. The Fifth Corps, after a long and wearisom(; march, leached Hanover 
about 5 o'clock in the evening. At this point news of the battle reached us, 
and we were asked t« press forward to the a.ssi.stance of our comrades at the 
front. The march was continued and after midnight, the Second brigade 
turned into a grove, about five miles from the battlefield for a short rest. An 
incident occurred while on this night march that illustrated the strong attach- 
ment and abiding confidence the troojis still had for their first commander. 
Word was passed along the line that General McClellan was again in command 
and awaited the arrival of his old battalions at Gettysburg. This annoui;ce- 
ment caused unbounded enthusiasm, and to that e.xteut contributed the victory 
that followed. With the first flush of day the brigade was again in motion, and 
reached the battlefield about 7 o'clock. The division was massed iu a field not 
far from Woirs Hill, on the right of our line. We then moved some distance 
to the left, crossed Kock Creek to the front, and massed in the orchard just 
above the .stone bridge on the Baltimore pike. There was nothing to indicate 
the terrible contest soon to shake the earth. Everything was quiet until the 
middle of the afternoou. But it was the calm before a .storm. About four 
o'clock the battle opened with unabated fury on the left. The lines of the 
Third Corps, (ieneral Sickles commanding, extended from the Cordori house on 
the right along the Emmitsburg pike to the Peach Orchard, then bending back 
were continued to the base of Pound Top. Tlie engagement commenced witli 
a determined efibrt to turn the Union left at Devil's Den. Hootl's and McLaws' 
divisions advanced to the attack, and the action rapidly extended along the 
line until the entire position of the Third Corps was furiously as.sailed. Re-en- 
forcements were called for. General Barnes' division of the Fifth Corps was 
the first to respond, and moved over the field, left iu front, in the direction of 
the woods near where General Zook's monument now stands. When the head 
of the column came across the Taneytowu road. General Warren met it and by 
permission of General Barn«,s detached the Third brigade and conducted it to 
Little Round Top, where it had a terrific struggle with a portion of Hood's divi- 
sion for the master}-. In this conflict the gallant Vincent fell, but his brigade 
held the ground. The rest of the division proceeded to the '"Loop, " Colonel 
Sweitzer's brigade in advance. The tliree regiments formed in line of battle 
the Thirty-second Massachusetts on the left in the position indicated by its tent- 
shaped monument, the Sixty-second in the center and the Fourth Michigan on 
the right. i^The Ninth Massachusetts was absent on jjicket duty.) The First 
brigade formed in the woods further to the right. The enemy w^as discovered 
advancing over the low ground on our left to attack the Thirty-second Jlassa- 
(•husetts, the other two regiments were wheeled partially to the left and rear 
to strengthen that position, thus forming three separate lines facing the same 
way and supporting each other. The firing became rapid and severe, but the 



336 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

brigade maintained its jxisition. ISIany of our officers and men -were struck 
down. Major Wni. G. Lowry fell, instantly killed. In his death the service 
lost as brave a soldier and as faithful an officer as any that fell that day in de- 
fense of this country. The First brigade fell back and no other troops taking 
their place on the right left our brigade in a critical condition. We were di- 
rected to fall back, which was done deliberately and in good order, the regi- 
ments halting and firing until well into the woods. We then moved by the 
left flank, struck the Avheatfield, and passed along its border to the Peach Or- 
chard road where we took position parallel to it, lacing this field. The First 
division of the Second Corps had moved forward and was engaged in these 
Avoods on our front. General Zook liad just been carried from the field mor- 
tally wounded. While we moved along the edge of the woods before reaching 
the Peach Orchard road, several of our men were struck by stray shots, and 
when in line on that road the command was ordered to lie down to avoid the 
flying bullets. Lieutenant Scott McDowell was killed and several more 
Avounded while the regiment occupied that position. After remaining on the 
clay road about twenty minutes. General Caldwell requested Colonel Sweitzer 
to take the brigade to his assistance in the woods beyond. Before starting a 
straggling line came back through our ranks. We then moved forward across 
the Avheatfield in splendid style. When this point Avas reached the brigade 
became hotly engaged Avith the enemy in front, the Sixty-second in the posi- 
tiou indicated by this monument and these markers, the Fourth Michigan on 
the right and the Thirty-second Massachusetts on the left. About the time we 
moved forward across this field Graham's division had been driven from the 
Peach Orchard, and Humphreys' division being threatened in reverse, changed 
front and moved further to the rear. These operations made a large opening 
in the line, through Avhich the Confederates hastened to enter Avith a strong 
force. We had not been long in this advanced position when .shots Avere noticed 
striking our lines from the Avoods to our right and rear. General Wofford's 
brigade of Georgia troops held the Peach' Orchard road and the elevation at 
Zook's monument and Avas firing into our command. Colonel Boyd McKeen, 
in his report of the First brigade. First division. Second Corps, says: "They 
were relieved by a brigade (SAveitzer's) of Barnes' division, Fifth Corps. Pass- 
ing the relieving brigade by file they were enfiladed by a galling fire," thus 
shoAving that the enemy made his appearance on our flank and rear almost im- 
mediately after Ave moved from the Peach Orchard road. The Fourth Mich- 
igan and Sixty-second changed front to the right to meet our enemies in that 
direction. The brigade Avas noAV nearly surrounded and in a very perilous posi- 
tion. Attacked in front, right and rear its chances of extricating itself Avere 
anything but good. General Barnes exclaimed, "There goes the Second l)ri- 
gade. Ave may as well bid it good-bye." But it Avas not the first time the Sec- 
ond brigade had been in critical positions, and by good judgment and indomit- 
able pluck come out all right. The command Avas terribly exposed in the open 
field, while our enemies had the cover of the woods. The men's blood Avas up 
and they fought Avith desperate resolution. The brigade fell back diagonally 
across the field, fighting every inch of the Avay, the command frequently halt- 
ing and firing as it retired. Tiic Fourth Michigan and Sixty-second ])ecame 
mixed up with the enemy and many hand to haiul conflicts ensued. Colonel 
.Teflbrds, of the Fourth Michigan, Avas run through Avith a bayonet while gal- 
lantly defending the colors of his regiment. When Ave Avere engaged at the 



Pennsylvania al Gettyshm-g. 357 

stone fence a large scjuad of prisouers liad been taken and sent to the rear, and 
when the regiment became entangled with the enemy the opposing fonx'.s could 
not at times fire into each other for the unarmed captives between the lines. 
When we emerged from the toils of impending capture, broken and cut to 
pieces, General Crawford led Colonel JlcCandless' brigade of Pennsylvania l^e- 
serves in a sweeping charge, which again cleared the wheatlield. Our brigade 
took position in support of a battery on the line just to the right of Little liound 
Top extension, where it remained until the army moved in pursuit of Lee. 
The Sixty-second lost heavily during the afternoon of the 2d, particularly in 
its passage across the wheatlield. The story of its casualties is chiseled on 
this marble shaft. It marched to the " Loop " with twenty-six officers and four 
hundred enlisted men in line and emerged from the Avheatfield with twelve 
officers and two hundred and thirty-nine men. Four officers and twenty-four 
men had been killed, ten officers and ninety-seven men wounded and forty men 
taken prisoners, a loss ratio of fifty-four per cent, of the officers and forty per 
cent, of the men. Two of the wounded officers died in a few days afterward, 
and it is safe to say that not less than fifteen men died from the effects of tlieir 
wounds. The figures given on this monument are taken from the official re- 
cords of the War Department, and show a percentage of casualties greater than 
the famous Light brigade suffered in its charge at Balaklava. Lord Cardigan 
took into action six hundred and seventy-three officers and men, and lost one 
hundred and thirteen killed and one hundred and thirty-four wounded, total 
two hundred and forty-seven, or SG^'^ per cent. Of those who passed through 
the fight unhurt General Sweitzer had several close calls. His horse was shot 
under him, and the crown of his hat was laid oi)en by a minie ball. Colonel 
Hull's tall form was conspicuous in the engagement, moving alx)ut with his 
accustomed coolness, directing the maneuvers of the regiment. He passed the 
ordeal of the wheatlield unharmed, to meet his fate like a gallant soldier in 
the Wilderness. Lieutenant Seitz ran into the enemy's lines at the Peach 
Orchard road while trying to communicate with General Barnes. He had his 
horse .shot, and barely escaped capture. But I cannot go into particulars. The 
officers and men did their w hole duty, and the regiment added still another 
laurel to its wreath of heroic deeds. No point in the extensive lines of Gettys- 
burg saw fiercer or more continuous fighting than here. This field had been 
taken and retaken, the lines swaying l)ack and forth repeatedly, during tlie 
progress of the contest that afternoon. It has been fitly styled the Avhirlpool 
of the battle. AVhen the action opened it was covered with the plumage of 
waving grain, ready for the harvest, and when twilight gathered over its sur- 
face the ripening stalks were tramjjled into the earth and dyed with the blood 
of the blue and the gray, and when the light of the moon cast its gentle rays 
over this gory plain it revealed scores of the pale, upturned faces of friends and 
foes, whose only heritage in the glory of the battle was soldiers' graves. Hun- 
dreds of papers have been written on this famous battle, yet the one-thousandth 
part has not and never will be told. Wereud of the gallant Meade, justly named 
the hero of Gettysburg; how ably he marshaled his army and guarded every 
point on the line, until victory perched on our banners. We read of the death 
of Reynolds; of the wounds of Hancock while leading his trusty veterans against 
the terrible charge of Pickett's division. We read of Warren, who, with the 
intelligent and practiced eyed of a soldier, saw at a glance the importance of 
Little Hound Top, and with the instinct of a cbieftain pronii)tly took steps to 



358 Poiustjlrainci. nf (i!ffhfs/)iu-(j. 

hold it. W'e re;ui ol'scDres of other brave and fikill'iil otlicers whoaideil in driv- 
ing the invincible \ eterans of the South, under the so-called ablest general of 
the age. from our state in hasty retreat, never again to return. While a great 
deal is due to the brain.s and valor of the officers, yet the glory of victor}- .should 
not l)e ascribed to them alone. The j)art the rank and file ])layed in the great 
drama of war is recorded and eulogized. But who among the private soldiers 
is named? Have the dead been mentioned except in numbers? Have the 
cripples been referred to except in the aggregate? Yet it was the rank and 
til(! that stood the shock of battle and that g:a\ e blow for blow. It was the 
columns of soldiers that charged the enemy or stood like a rock against fierce 
assaults. Does history do more with the nameof the private soldier than bundle 
it up with a thousand others and call the combination a regiment? The only 
glory the rank and file have is in the honor and reputation of their own organ- 
ization. The spirit of generous emulation that ran through all organizations 
in the army was the outgrowth of enlightened valor, and is the distinguishing 
characteristic of the American soldier. Every man took pride in his own reg- 
iment and helieved it the best and bravest in the army. No .soldier who wore 
the blue and was singed with the fire of battle would ever change his regiment 
for any other in the service. The associations and memories and friendship and 
hard-earned glory could not be transferred. Every organization has its own 
peculiar history, which it would not exchange for that of any other. This pride 
of organization calls us together to-day. We meet to honor and he honored by 
th<' name and fame of our gallant regiment. Among the many valiant organ- 
izations that participated in this battle, none can show a prouder lecord than 
the Sixty-second Pennsylvania Volunteers. The career of the regiment 
throughout its three years' service was continuall}' marked with devotion t^) 
lionor and duty. The history outlined on this monument is an elnquenttribute 
to its bravery. The li.'*t of killed and wounded shows the deadly chasms it had 
to lill. The blood of its slain is sprinkled all the way from Gettysburg to Kich- 
mond. Entail who ])assed through this fight and through the war untouched 
by the hand of death are not here to-day. Many have fallen in the march of 
peace that passed unharmed through the storms of battle. Among this num- 
ber none is missed more or held in <learer remembrance than the brave and ever 
faithful <-olonel of the regiment. General J. B. Sweitzer. There is a peculiar 
tinge of sadness in his absence. He took a special interest in the erection of 
this monument. Tlu^ Sixty-second was his pride; he gloried in its honor and 
re))iita1ion. and if living his voice would have led to-day in the encomiums of 
its achievements. We mi.ss many manly faces from th(» ranks, who.se jiatriotLsm 
and courage were not excelled by tlie higliest in ollicial stations. We miss 
many of the line officers, and the field oflicers arc; all gone except Assistant Sur- 
geon Gardner. As we turn our gaze backward iVom this field, we recall the 
familiar form of t lie gallant Black, who.se name is inseparal)ly a.ssociated with 
the Sixty-.seeond; whose a))ility as an organizer and bravery as a commander 
sj»eedily brought it to flu; front in the line of crack legiments in the .service. 
We mi.ss bis knightly l)earing and elo<[uent \oice. In the lapse of a quarter of 
a <;entury many liave fallen by the way. and this remnant of a gallantorganiza- 
tion, once full in numbers and strongin youth, comes here to (celebrate its share 
in the victory of (Jettysburg. W«! cainf! to <l<'dicate this monument. In the 
name of justice; in tin- name uf coMstii iit ioiial liberty: in the name of eliival- 
rous devotion to duty; in the name of ]inrity in j)ublic alVaiis: in the name of 







'.^>«^nwrinw.ii II !!■■(. 



"^ 





'/r?/l/-/- 1'.; 0\\4\;\CiX- 




^.^i^^Mr-^ 




rON, CETTrSDUI. j. 



Pennsylvania at Geitysburg. 359 

one country, with luit a single Hag. for which the blood of this regiment was 
shed, we dedicate our nionunient and consign it to j)()sterity. Coming genera- 
tions may read t'rom it the simple story of the devoted patriotism and unflinch- 
ing courage of the Sixty-second Regiment I'ennsylvania Volunteers, in the war 
for the Union. 



M~ 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

63° REGIMENT INFANTRY 

Sf.i'tembkr 1 1, 1889. 

ADDRESS I5V COLONEL JOHN A. DANKS 

comrades of the Sixty-third Kegiment Pennsylvania Volunteers : — 
Very few people (comparatively speaking) attach as much importance 
to the battle of Getty.s))urg as really belongs to it. Very few think 
of it as the Calvary of American Freedom. But such it is in the his- 
tory of the United States. 

When we think of humanity as being crushed by .sin, and look for a remedy, 
we begin at the Garden, and tind the conclusion at Calvary. When we think 
and speak of the government of England as threatened with dismemberment 
and ruin, and look for the remedy, we find it at Waterloo. So, wlw.n we think 
and speak of oppression, class and caste in America, and look for the remedy, 
we begin at Harper's Ferrj', with old John Brown, and find the answer in 
Pickett's charge at Gettysburg. So we say: For Humanity, Calvary: for Eng- 
land, Waterloo; for America, Gettysburg. 

'WTiat a thrilling recollection it must be to each one of us, that we formed an 
important part of the army that rescued and saved the Nation. Furthermore 
that we discharged a duty on this line, more than twenty-six years ago, that 
has been increasing in interest and importance as the years go by. I had the 
honor to command the regiment in this battle, I, therefore, know whereof I 
speak, and deliberately .say, that never did twenty hours witness, or one-fourth 
of a mile measure, more earnest devotion to the Union, than you rendered 
here on this line July 2, 1863. 

When the battle of Gettysburg was joined, the Third Corps in wliich we were 
serving was near Frederick, Md., we then marched to Emmitsburg, Md., 
stacked arms and were resting, when the word came — the armies are fighting 
at Gettysburg and General Reynolds is killed — go at once to Gettysburg; we 
started at douljle-quick, we came in liere about 8 o'clock on the night of the 
1st. We halted for supper just to the right of Little Round Top; at about ten 
o'clock that night we were ordered and led here on this line to do picket duty; 
early on the morning of the 2d, the enemy l>eing in front fired on the right of 
our line; this continued at intervals until about nine. When a Maine regiment 
went out in front to test the strength of the enemy at this point, soon they and 
we became hotly engaged all along the line. But soon the enemy withdrew — 
four times that day did the enemy come out. deploy a skirmish line as though 
they would bring on a general engagement. But you met them promptly 
and each time they retired. Between four and five o'clock p. m. I was in- 
formed by the company commanders that our ammunition was al)out spent 



360 Pennsylvania at Gb^:,yshur(j. 

and we would have nothing but the bayonet, should the enemy come again. 
This report I sent by an orderly to General D. B. Birney; soon a regiment wear- 
ing a wliite patch came up to relieve us, and u staff officer came with instruc- 
tions for me to take the regiment and replenish the ammunition. 

"We crossed the ridge and when on the Taneytown road I noticed our l)ri- 
gade and division headquarter flags in our front. We moved into our place, 
and remained there that night. Next morning we took our place in the line 
just to the right of Little Ivound Top, there we remained until after Pickett's 
charge, when we were taken at a double-quick down the line, and halted in 
front of where Pickett had been repulsed. We remained in the line there 
until the morning of the 5th when the army went in pursuit of the enemy. 

Keviewing the time and work, I am prepared to say, surely no man or nation 
could ask or expect an organization to do better service than you did at Get- 
tysburg in 1863. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH BY R. HOWARD MILLER. 

^T^HL movements of the Fiist Division, Third Army Corps, from Falmouth, 

I Va., and ending with our arrival at Gettysburg will be found for all 

I applicable purjjoses to apply to the movements of the Sixty-third Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers. 

June 5, 1863. Third Army Corps (General D. B. Birney in command i was 
posted at Boscobel near Falmouth. 

June 11. Marched from Boscobel to Hartwood Church. 

June 13. Marched from Hartwood Church to Bealton, General Humphreys' 
division being advanced to the Rappahannock. 

June 14. Marched from Bealton to Manassas Junction. 

June 17. Marched from Manassas Junction to Centreville. 

June 19. Marched from Centreville to Gum Springs. 

June 25. Marched from Gum Springs to the north side of the Potomac at 
Edwards' Ferry and mouth of the Mouocacy. 

June 26. Marched from the Monocacy to Point of Rocks, Md. 

June "27. ISIarched from Point of Rocks ria Jefferson to Middletown, Md. 

June 28. Marched from Middletown to near Woodsboro, General Sickles 
assuming command, relieving General Birney. 

June 29. Marched from Woodsboro to Taneytown beyond Pipe Creek. 

June 30. Marched from Taneytown to Bridgeport. 

July 1. At 6 p. m. Graham and Ward's brigades were posted directly across 
the Taneytown road to the right of Little Round Top and in the rear of Geary's 
division, Twelfth Array Corps. About dusk of the same evening the regiment 
was placed in position on the Emmitsburg pike with headcjuarters at the 
Sherfy House; on the morning of the 2d, about 5 o'clock, the enemy commenced 
tiring which was kept up during the day and at three different times deployed 
and advanced a strong .skirmish line as if they intended full columns to follow, 
but in every instance were driven back after a severe skirmish. At 5 p. m. we 
were relieved by the Second division and ordered to replenish ammunition, 
when we crossed over Cemetery Ridge. Our division and brigade colors were 
on the Taneytown road where we remained that night. On the morning of the 
:5d. went into line lo the right of Little Round Toj) and enjoyed a .-^hare of the 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 361 

preliminary shelling of the enemy that was to usher in the rebel charge of 
Pickett's division. After the charge had failed and the survivors were falling 
back to their lines, went on a double-iiuick down the line and were halted just 
in front of Pickett's dead and wounded ; there we remained until July ~A\\. 

July 4. Lee drew back his Hanks and in the evening began his retreat by 
two routes — the main body on the direct road to Williamsport through the 
mountains, the other in the direction of Chambersburg including his train of 
wounded with Gregg's cavalry in pursuit. 

July 5. At Gettysburg. July 6. Marched to Mechanicstown. July 7. Marched 
to near Frederick in front of the Monocacy. July 8. Marched from Frederick 
to Downsville beyond Marsh Creek. 

July 14. General Lee crossed on the night of the 14th to Virginia side of the 
Potomac. 

July 17. Regiment crossed into Virginia at Harper's Ferry on the night of 
Ihe 17th, and thus ended the invasion of the soil of our native state, with all 
existing military prestige flushed with the hope of a victory like Chancellor- 
ville, with hope of foreign recognition if successful — ^they seemed to have great 
reason to hope for success — but it was of paramount interest to the Confederates 
to strike a decisive blow on the battlefield; to retreat was dishonor to their 
cause already weakened, and the old world was waiting for the result; strike 
they did, the hour was ripe for history and the monument we dedicate to-day 
points with unerring fingers to the history which they commemorate. The past 
is secure, the field attests the valor of the soldiers of the blue. May never again 
the storm cloud of war blur the horizon of our country, and we feel in going 
down the sober afternoon of life to the shades from whose bourne no traveler 
returns to thank God in the fulness of our hearts that we have been permitted 
to live in this grand and glorious age, when slavery died, when freedom to all 
has taken a new lease of life and more vigorous growth, when the old flag waves 
in triumph from ocean to ocean, from the lake to the gulf. In parting let us 
renew again our vows to the old flag and to each other, keeping up the touch 
to the right, and as comratle after comrade is called to the encamjiment above 
by the Supreme Commander, close up closer together both in heart and hand, 
and may we all so live that the ])laudit will be. Well done thou good and faith- 
lul servant. 



DEDICATORY ADDRESS OF ANDREW G. WILLIAMS. 

COMRADES: — The swiftly speeding days of more than twenty-six years 
have come and gone since first the Sixty-third regiment Pennsylvania 
Volunteers stood in the might and majesty of its loyal manhood in de- 
fense of this identical portion of the Union line of battle, and to-day we, 
the survivors of that gallant old regiment, have met on this historic field; the 
field which marks the high flood tide of rebellion; the field against whose every 
side and flank the impetuous torrents of fratricidal war in all their hellish fury 
surged; to be rolled back and submerged only when its ridges and its plains; 
its orchards and its glens; its rocky round tops and its devil's den had been 
drenched and ran red with the heroic blood of twenty thousand of your com- 
rades, and not even then were the fierce fires of secession quenched on this field 
until three thousand more brave men went down to death and placed their 



362 Pennsylvania, at Gettysburg. 

lives, the one most valuable and un measurable offeriug that ever was or can be 
made by mortal man for home and country, upon the Nation's altar. 

Standinsi in this jiresence to-day we all fully realize how changed the scene. 

'■ No hostile armies g-atlier now 
But autumn air around 
Breathe i)eace and joy where once we fought 
TTpon this very ground. 

When on this monument we gaze 

What hallowed memories throng 
Our cause — forever it was right 

Our foes— forever wrong. 

Forever wrong; all time will point 

To Gettysburg with pride 
Here freedom triumphed and on this tield 

The hopes of treason died." 

Monuments are as old as our race and all along the history of the dim and 
dusty ages of the past down to the bright and joyous present man has been 
])erpetuating the memory of heroic men and deeds in monumental pile and 
storied urn and this inclination comes to the mind of our (;ommon humanity 
but as promptings from and a reflex expression of the great divine original liim- 
self. God ever was and still continues to be a monument builder. 

On this field to-day we are reminded by the many monuments, all of which 
are silently, yet eloquently, proclaiming that aftection for and appreciation of 
heroic patriotism and patriotic heroism still survives. We have met again on 
this once bloody field, after the lapse of so many years of peace and prosperity 
to perpetuate the memory and render our faint and feeble tribute of praise to 
the valor of Pennsj'lvania's soldiers and especially do we meet on this historic 
spot — the Peach Orchard — to dedicate this monument to the memory of the 
services of our loved and gallant Sixty-third, than which there was no braver, 
whose long lists of glorious achievements have never yet been enumerated and 
the history of which when written will be the histor}- of the Army of the F'oto- 
mac. And yet it's true on c^very hand we are reminded that here the brave 
men of eighteen sister states stood elbow to elbow and side by side most nobly 
fought and fell. 

A Grecian philosopher once said ''The whole earth is the .sepulchre of illus- 
trious men" and the Hon. Edward Everett in his matchless oration at the ded- 
ication of yonder national cemetery added "All time is the millenium of 
their glory." 

The peaceful gathering here to-day of you, my comrades, but evidence^^ the 
glorious success of your i)atrioti<; service. The Union and all that word im- 
plies; flag and all the privileges and rights it represents: country and all the 
hallowed memories and illustrious kindship we claim. All these must have 
inevitably and forever been engulfed in the whirli)ool of rebellion, but for 
the service and .sacrifice made by you bronzed and battle-browned veterans and 
your comrades. 

And now my comrades there remains for us who survive our fallen comrades 
the high, the holy duty of here and now resolving that these our dead shall not 
ha\e died in vain, but that the cause to which Ihey yi<'lded their full measure 
of devotion shall forever have our undying feally. This ground has been con- 
secrated bv the blood and deatii of our comrades: and this monument we now 







\ 



■mtt\ 

JK. PiHWJlT KAS WiW- WII' T« aviilW 

aKLLfTCCHIKE 

PRESENT AT GtTTySgUHC 

353 OFFICERS AW m» ■ 

WILED 3 OFFICERS AND 10 HEH 

WaUHUEB 30FF1CERS AHB Wl MEl 

MPtL'RED OR MISS(!fe-lS MEN . 




fMOTO. ev W. M. TIPTON, GETTvSBURG. 



THE F. GUTEKUNST CO., PMIUA. 



Pennsylvania at (rettyshurg. 363 

most solemnly dedicate to their memory and in honor of your service, and in 
its ]iresence with uncovered head and upraised hand, we pledge our lives in 
eternal defense of the jjrinciples of right and justice, the contest for whicli has 
made this field so memorable. We have all reached the meridian of life and 
many with halting step and silvered locks are far down on the shady side of 
the mountain, indeed almost in the glades at its base and soon must lay us 
down at "taps " and bid our last adieu to comrades dear and the loved land 
we helped to save; let us see to it then that we .so keep step to the music of 
moral heroism; so touch elbow to elbow in the march of humau happine.ss; so 
stand in the rauks of valiant manhood, presenting a .solid front against all the 
enemies of our race ; .so to put on the entire armor of christian soldiers and 
light successfully the battles of this ])resent life. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

68"^" REGIMENT INFANTRY 

July 2, 18SS 
ADDRESS BY ALFRED J. CRAIOIIEAD 

COMRADES: — A quarter of a century has passed away since you and 1 
marched up that road yonder, amid the echoes and passion of war, 
which have all died. Then we were soldiers in defense of this glorious 
Union, and here, upon this field, we fought,shoulder to shoulder together^ 
and upon this spot our gallant old regiment stood without flinching, subjected 
to one of the most deadly onslaughts ever known, from tliat portion of the 
Contiederate army in our front and tlank. This spot marks the left of our regi- 
ment, the right extended to and rested north of this point to where you will 
see a flank stone marker standing. About this hour in the day, twenty-five 
years ago, we advanced from here into that Peach Orchard beyond, and formed 
an angle, which we have marked by a white marble shatt; in that orchard we 
engaged the enemy in heavy musketry firing. You all remember that afternoon, 
and out of the small band of us that went into that orchard few of us came 
safely out, but you did your duty bravely while there. 

Comrades, those are deeds of the past and you are all citizens now, and I 
trust you all are as good citizens as you were soldiers. ^Ye are here to-day 
under difierent circumstances and have invited our friends to assemble with us 
upon this sacred and memorial spot to participate with us in the ceremonies 
that are about to take place in commemoration of the event of our first appear- 
ance upon this field years ago. Before you will be permitted to listen to the 
«loquent remarks of deeds of valor of this regiment from my esteemed and il- 
lustrious friends, who have kindh' consented to come here and address you, 
you, comrades, have selected me to inform our friends why we have a.sserabled 
liere to-day, methinks I hear them say, " ^Yho <>r what is this Sixty-eighth 
Regiment Pennsylvania Yolunteers ? " Well, I will tell you, my friend.s. all 
about this grand old regiment, whose officers, exploits and achievements, we 
all who fought in its ranks feel proud of. 

This celebrated regiment, surnamed Scott Legion, was recruited during the 
summer of 1862, in the city of Philadelphia, except Company H, which was re- 



364 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg.' 

cruited at and from among the German residents of I'ottstown, Montgomery 
connty, and Company I from Chester county. The regiment -was completely 
organized and inustcrod into the United States service on September 2, 1862, 
with one thousand and forty -nine (1,049) oiricers and men. The following were 
the field ofticers of regiment: Andrew Hart Tippin, colonel; Anthony Hart 
Reynolds, lientenaut-colonel, and Thomas Hawksworth, major. At that time 
all citizens of the city of Philadelphia. 

Colonel Tippin al.so served as major of the Twentieth Regiment Penn.syl- 
vania Volunteer Infantry during the three-months' service, and had seen ser- 
vice as Lieutenant in the Eleventh United States Infantry during the war 
with Mexico in 1846 and 1847, and fought bravely in General Scott's army ou 
several bloody fields. Well, we remember the dispatch from headquarters that 
told how Lieutenant Tippin was the lirst man to mount the ramparts of the 
Mexican works at the battle of Molino-del-Rey, King Mills, to wave his sword 
and lead his men ou to victory that so quickly followed; he was twice breveted 
for gallant and brave conduct in the battles of Contreras, Cherubusco, INIolino- 
del-Rey and other battles of that campaign in Mexico. The sword carried b}' 
this gallant defender of his country's cause and flag during the campaign in 
Mexico, has been presented by his widow to A. H. Tippin Camp No. 41, Sons 
of Veterans of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and it bears marks of battle, a jwr- 
tion of a bullet embedded in the handle which struck it when its owner sprang 
ujM)n the walls of the fort previously mentioned. The Sons of Veterans have 
placed this weapon of this dead hero of two wars among their archives of 
relics, and they prize it as dear to them as was the sword of Bunker Hill to 
the patriots who wielded it in the historic contest of revolutionary times. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Reynolds who was wounded and permanently disabled 
while gallantly leading us comrades u^wu this bloody and memorable field, and 
since deceased, and Major Hawksworth who was killed at the battle of Fred- 
erick.sburg, Virginia, December 13, 1862, and Captain Robert E. Winslow, 
subsequently lieutenant-colonel, and Captain Michael Fulmer, subsequently 
major, who is with us lo-day, our honored president, some seventy years old. 
who has pa.ssed the meridian of life threescore and ten, full of vigor and man- 
hood, carrying the scars of battle, all saw service in Mexico and displayed their 
gallant conduct and bravery during that campaign. Manj- of the line oflicers 
and men, of whom some fell upon this and other fields of battle in defense of 
their country and this glorious Union, were all veterans of Mexico, and also 
served during the three-months' service. 

The defeat of our arms in Pope's Campaign of Northern Virginia, conclud- 
ing with Chantilly, in 186:2, caused the national authorities to summons per- 
emptorily troops which had been mu.stered. The Sixty-eighth, our regiment, 
was at that time lying in camp at Frankford, a suburb of the city of Philadel- 
phia, Pennsylvania ; though above the minimum, its ranks were not up to the 
maximum standard and the men were only partially unilbrmed and equipped 
and not mustered into the United States .service. Colonel Tippin at ouce re- 
sponded i)romptly to the order. The regiment broke camp on the evening of 
September 1, 1862, and at once proceeded to "Washington city where it was 
mustered into the United States service. The army was just falling back to 
the heights around the National Capital, the regiment was immediately ordered 
across the Potomac river and went into camp on Arlington Heights, there it 
was armed ami fiiriiishcd with a conipletc outfit for an active camj)aign, and 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 365 

was assigned to Robinson's Brigade, Stonemaii's Division, Third Armj- Corps. 
Soon after tlie battle of Antietani the regiment moved from camp and passed 
through Georgetown, i)roceeded to Poolesville, Maryland, arriving there on the 
loth day of October, the day on which the rebel Generals Stuart and Wade 
Hampton with a large force of cavalry made their famous raid on Chambers- 
burg, Pennsylvania, and a complete circuit of the Union army; intelligence soon 
spread of the daring ride, and our regiment was marched rapidly to Conrad's 
Ferrj', near Poolesville, Maryland, in expectation that the bold raiders would 
attempt to cross the Potomac river at that point on their return into Virginia, 
l)ut they made for a ford considerably lower down the stream and passed over 
without opposition. After the regiment remained several days in the vicinity 
of the ferry it rejoined the brigade, and crossed the Potomac into Virginia, by 
f4irdiug the stream, and proceeded southward with the rest of the army. While 
on the march, the rebel cavalry under Colonel White suddenly dashed in upon 
the wagon train moving with the brigade, and captured wagons belonging to 
the Sixty -eighth, containing officers' baggage, 1x>oks, papers, etc., and camp and 
garrison equippage, overpowering and making prisoners of the feeble guard 
which had it in charge : about forty of the Sixty-eighth were taken prisoners, 
sent to Richmond, Virginia, and kept in confinement several months. 

On the 12th day of December, 1862, the regiment was lying in winter quar- 
ters on Falmouth Heights opposite to Fredericksburg, Virginia, the order was 
given to break camp, and the regiment with the division, then under command 
of General David B. Birney, moved down to the heights overlooking the field 
where the Union troops had taken position on the opposite side of the Rap- 
pahannock river below the town, and remained there until the 13th instant. It 
was not until afternoon, and until the battle was in progress on the left, that 
orders were given to cross over the river, when the regiment, with the division 
led by the fearless Birney, double-c^uicked acro.ss the i)ontoon bridge and 
moved up into line of battle under a heavy artillery fire, reaching the field just 
as the Pennsylvania Reserves, under tlie gallant IVIeade, were forced from the 
heights of Fredericksburg, followed closely by the triumphant foe. Our 
regiment was ordered to support Randolph's Battery E, First Rhode Island 
Artillery, which at this critical juncture was being rapidly served and doing 
fearful execution. The regiment remained in this position, exposed to the 
enemy's answering fire and defending the guns from infantry attack, until the 
cannonading ceased. It was then ordered into position in the first line with the 
brigade, close to the enemy's front: for two days the regiment remained in 
this position, but beyond occasional picket firing was not further engaged. On 
the night of the 1.5th instant the brigade was relieved bj' the Second Brigade, 
which had been in the rear, and under cover of darkness recrossed the river and 
again went into winter quarters on Falmouth Heights. The lo.ss sustained by 
the regiment was forty killed and wounded, among whom were Major Hawks- 
worth, and Lieutenant Joseph E. Davis of Company F, killed ; and a number 
taken prisoners, including the regimental brass band. 

The regiment remained in comparative quiet until Januarj^ 20, 1863, when 
the army again moved under General Burnside, who purposed to proceed up 
the Rappahannock river, and to cross the river and a second time offer battle, 
which proved a great failure, and is known as Burnside's stuck in the mud. Fo% 
three days we endured unparalleled suffering from the inclement weather and 
exposure, at the end of which the campaign was abandoned, and we returned 



366 Pennsylvania at (rettyshurg. 

to our old camp below Fredericksburg iiud again went into winter quarters and 
remained there until April 28. except at times when the regiment was sent out 
to do occasional i)icket duty. 

In the movement upon ("hancellorsville. the Tiiird Army (lorps was at first 
marihcd down the Kajipahannock river to the point where they cro.ssed in the 
Fredericksburg cam])aign, to make a demonstration as if to cross and ofter 
battle at this point, while General Hooker, with the main body of his army. 
cro.s.sed and eflected a permanent lodgment .some miles above. When this had 
been accomplished General Daniel E. Sickles, who had succeeded to the com- 
mand of the Third Corps, marched it hastily away to rejoin the army, then con- 
centrated at Chancellorsville. AVe crossed the Rappahannock river on the 1st 
day of May, 18fi:>. having left camp on the 28th day of April, passing the in- 
termediate time in the operations below Fredericksburg. On the evening of 
May 1, \Ne were drawn up in column, with the brigade supporting a battery 
which had opened upon the enemy, that was soon replied to spiritedly with 
shell. One of our regiment's pioneers was wounded. Here we remained during 
the night. The next day we moved into various positions, covering the line of 
skirmishers in the operations against the enemy on the left. At evening we 
retired and remained in position with the brigade. Before the men were fully 
prepared the iie.xt morning the enemy made a vigorous attack on our left and 
front and the position of our regiment was changed to the extreme right, so as 
to more carefully cover the battery we were supporting, now firing rapidly: the 
onset, however, was .so rapid and determined and the front line having broken, 
and fallen back in some confusion, our regiment was forced to retire with 
the brigade, after which the brigade was quicklj^ reformed and moved again to 
the front in column doubled on the center, deploying at the edge of a woods, 
to the right of our first position, which the enemy now held. We entered and 
.soon engaged him in his rifle-pits, which we charged, and after a sharj) and 
.severe contest we .succeeded in taken them. At this point our regiment captured 
some thirty-five officers and men of the Tenth Virginia Kegiment, its colors and 
color guard. During the battle the regiment was always placed in the hottest 
part of the line and subjected to the .severest kind of musketry fire. The loss 
sustained by the regiment was very severe. Captain .Tohn D. Pawling of Com- 
pany 1, and Captain James Shields of Company K, were l)otli mortally wounded. 

The army then recro.s.sed the river and went into camp at Belle Plain near 
Aquia Creek were we remained until the 11th day of June, 1863, when we 
broke camp to enter upon the Gettysburg campaign; the march was a long and 
wearisome one, as we were compelled to watch the movements of the enemy. 

At the opening of the battle of Gettj'sburg. July 1, 18(i3, the Third Army 
Corps was at Emmitsbnrg, ^laryland. moving rapidly forward, reaching th(^ 
field hite at nighl. .M'tcr the day's con(li(tt wasovt-ras the column reached this 
field it went into line of position along a slight ridge extending diagonally across 
that open jtlain l)etween Cemetery and Seminary ridges, connecting with Han- 
cock's Second Army Corj s on its right and its left refused at this Peach Orchard, 
and stretched oblicjuely back thnuigh that woods to a rocky ravine in front of 
Round To)). called Devil's Den. The brigadi . then commanded by General 
Charles K. (Jraham. was placed iti jiosition on that ]>art of the line deflecting 
• frtmi the I'minitsburg pike, it stretclie<l away to Round Top. The angle formed 
by this depaiiine was at the point where this road upon which you now stand 
leads from the pike to Little Kouud 'l"oi>. and in this angle, near the house 



PrniiHijIcania <i/ (ictli/.slnir(/. 367 

of. John Waiitz, which was one ol'llie most exposed i)arts ol' the field, our rej;i- 
meiit was placed, open to a tire on I'ront and Hank, supporting Clark's Battery 
B, First New Jerse\' Artillery, which was stationed in the yard in the lear of 
the Want/, house, just in our front, and being rapidly served and dealing out 
death and destruction to the enemy witli the shot and shell they were throw- 
ing into their ranks. Many of the men of our regiment assisted tlie artillery- 
men to serve tlie cannoneers with tlieir ammunition. 

Standing upon this spot, which is the most elevated part of the tield, hut not 
sufficiently so to be of any advantage in defense, it was a conspicuous mark 
for artillery for long range around, and open to the charge of in fan try. Skirm- 
ishing commenced about nine o'clock on the morning of July 2, and gradually- 
increased in severity until the battle opened in earnest. About four o'clock in 
the atternoon tlie enemy opened with heavy artillery fire and followed up with 
infantry, putting in ))rigade after l)riga(le i en-echelon j, commencing on his ex- 
treme left ; it was sometime before the infantry attack reached this Peach 
Orchard, here where our regiment stood, but the artillery tire hearing ujKm us 
was terrific, carrying away men at every discharge. As this was the key to the 
whole position it was necessary to hold it at all hazard, and the ouly alternative 
was to stand and be shot down without the opportunity' to reply. In the midst 
of the fight General Graham was wounded aiul borne from the field and the 
command of the brigade devolved upon our gallant old Colonel Tippin. We 
then advanced into yonder Peach Orchard, and formed an angle fronting on 
the pike at the point where you will see that we have erected a white marl)le 
shaft. In that orchard we received the enemy's heavy charge and musketry 
fSre, and bravely did the boys of our regiment return that fire with telling ef- 
fect at every volley. During that bloody ordeal our brave color sergeant was 
killed, but our flag was not permitted to fall, as the young and brave Color 
Corporal McLarnon received the flag from the dead sergeant's hands as he was 
falling, and held it high at the same time waving it and cheering the men on 
to renewed vigor ; for such acts of bravery he was subsequently promoted to 
color sergeant of the regiment, and faithfully did he discharge his duty and 
carry the flag until the close of the war, and he is now present with us to-day. 
It was a terrible afternoon in that orchard, and we all were anxious for rein- 
forcements to come up, as we were being decimated by their artillery. In that 
orchard Lieutenant-Colonel Reynolds and Major Winslow were wounded and 
ten other officers of our regiment were killed or wounded, leaving but four of- 
ficers to bring the regiment out of the fight, having had in all but seventeen 
officers for duty at the commencement of the battle. Just at sunset the rebel 
infantry charged upon the position held by our regiment with great impetu- 
osity, and the brigade, greatly weakened by its losses, and exhausted by fre- 
quent manoeuvrings, outflanked and vastly outnumbered, was compelled to 
yield, but not in disorder, retiring slowly and contesting the ground inch liy 
inch. At this critical juncture a portion o( the Fifth Army Corps came to our 
relief, a new line was formed and the enemy repulsed and held in check ; near 
the close of the action General Graham, having returned upon the field at- 
tempted to resume command and rally the brigade, but being weak from loss 
of blood and unable to endure the trials of that desperately contested field, un- 
fortunately fell into the hands of the enemy, and was taken prisoner, together 
with a number of our regiment's men. On this field upon this .same afternoon 
the brave and gallant Sickles, our corps commander, lost his leg. 



368 Pemhsylimnia at Gettyshurr/. 

On the ;kl day of July, our regiment -witli the brigade, under command of 
Colonel Tippin, was held in reserve, forming part of a second line of battle on 
the left center in the rear of the famous Philadelphia Brigade of the Second 
Corps, as their support while they held the liloody angle against Pickett's 
suicidal charge; the position held by the regiment at that point was upon the 
lowest part of the entire field. Although not engaged we were exposed to the 
terrible fire of the enemy's artillery and lost numbers of our men. Colonel 
Tippin's horse being killed under him at that point ; the loss sustained ])y our 
regiment was about sixty per cent, of the entire number engaged. Captain 
George W. McLearn and Lieutenant Andrew Black, both of Company D, and 
Lieutenant John Reynolds of Company G, were among those killed, and Lieu- 
tenant Lewis "NV. Ealer of Company F, was mortally wounded. 

The following is the official report of Colonel Tippin. viz: 

Headqtarteks Sixty-Eighth Regiment 
Pennsylvania Yolt'Nteees, August 4, 186;>. 

Lieutenant: — In compliance with orders from headquarters of the 27th 
ultimo, I respectfully submit the following report of the operations of my regi- 
ment in the recent engagement at and near Gettysburg. 

On the morning of Jul}' 2, I moved my regiment with the brigade to the 
position assigned us in a large open field in the rear of our line of skirmishers, 
then engaged with the enemy's skirmishers in front. The brigade was deployed 
in line of battle by battalions doubled on the center, my regiment being on 
the left of the line. After remaining in this position some time, the brigade 
was moved farther to the front, immediately in rear of Clark's Battery, de- 
ployed in line of battle, and ordered to lie down. We remained in this posi- 
tion nearly two hours, suffering severely from the destructive fire of the enemy's 
batteries posted on our left and front. I was then ordered to move my regi- 
ment forward into a peach orchard, and fronting a road running parallel with 
the enemy's front. We had been in this position but a short time when signifi- 
cant movements on the part of the enemy made it evident we were about to 
be attacked; soon he advanced. I ordered the men to reserve their fire until 
reaching a certain point, when a destructive fire was opened, the enemy halted 
and dropping behind a fence, receiving reinforcements, and heavy masses of 
his infantry coming down on our right, I ordered my command to fall back to 
the position in the rear of the batteries, which was done in good order. Here 
I met General Graham who ordered me to at once engage the enemy coming 
down on our right fiank, which was promptly done under his directions. Here 
too tlie gallant general was severely wounded and subsequently made prisoner. 
He declined any assistance, and directed me to take command and fight on. 
I supposed him able to get to the rear, as after dismounting, he walked a\ ith 
apparently little difficulty. 

We held the position as long as it was possible to hold it. The artillery hav- 
ing retired and the ranks very much decimated by the fire of the enemy, who 
was i)u.shing forward in heavy masses, I ordered the command to retire in 
order, whldi was done. I reported to General Ward, now in command of the 
division, who assigned me a position, with directions to bivouac for the night. 

On the morning of the 'id, I was ordered with the brigade to proceed with 
the division to a field a short distance from the i)la(e where we bivouacked 
and stacked arms; remaining but a short time, I was ordered to move with the 



Pennsylvania at GeUyshurg. 369 

division to the left wIkmo we formed line of battle in tlie rear supporting apart 
of the Fifth Array Corps. In the afternoon the brigade again moved with the 
division to tlie rear of the center and in support of a battery; we remained here 
until evening when I was relieved of the command. I regret the loss of a great 
many gallant officers and men of ray regiment. The brave Captain McLearn 
and the no less conspicious Lieutenants Black and Reynolds all fell close to the 
enemy while cheering on their men. Lieutenant-Colonel Reynolds, Major 
Winslow, Captains Funston, Young and Fulmer, and Lieutenants (John J.) 
Fenlin, Jr., Ealer, Guest, Porter and Heston, all wounded, bear evidence of 
their good conduct and gallant behavior. I can also bear testimony to the gal- 
lantry of the other officers of the command. 

Of the non-commi.ssioned officers and privates of the regiment I cannot speak 
with too much praise. Their obedience to command and the determined stand 
made against overwhelming odds, their thinned ranks fully prove; animated 
by the glorious cause in which they were engaged, each vied with the obher in 
deeds of gallant daring. 

A list of the casualties has already been forwarded. A tabular statement of 
killed, wounded and missing is herewith appended. 
Very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

Andrew H. Tippin, 
Colonel Sixty-eighth Begiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. 

Aft«r the return of the army into Virginia, the regiment participated with it 
in the fall campaign, and was actively engaged at Wapping Heights, on the 23d 
day of August, and at Auburn, on the 14th day of October, and sustained the 
loss of a number of men. 

In the sharp turn taken by General Meade, at Centerville, Virginia, Colonel 
Tippin was taken prisoner and was confined in Libby prison, at Richmond, 
Virginia, where he remained for nearJy nine months. In the subsequent ad- 
vance of the army the regiment, now under command of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Robert E. Winslow, was actively engaged at Kelly's Ford, on the 7th day of 
November, and at Locust Grove, on the 27th day of November, suffering se- 
verely. Captain Milton S. Davis, of Company F, being among those killed, and 
at Mine Run, on the 28t.h day of November, 1863. 

In the entire campaign our regiment was given little rest, being almost con- 
stantly on the move and suffered considerable loss by sickness and battle. The 
regiment went into winter quarters at Brandy Station near Culpeper, Virginia, 
where the regiment received a nnmber of recruits. In March, 1864, the Third 
Army Corps was bi'oken up and the Sixty -eighth, together with other regiments, 
was assigned to the Second Army Corps. 

On the 18th day of April, 1864, the regiment still under the command of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Winslow (Colonel Tippin being still in confinement at Libby 
prison), was ordered to headquarters of General Meade, where it was placed 
under the immediate command of Brigadier-General Patrick, the Provost Mar- 
shal-General of the Army of the Potomac, and employed in doing guard duty; 
in this position it remained until the close of the war (the duties were onerous 
and severe) with other regiments in the same line of duty and formed into a 
Provisional Brigade which was subject to duty on the battle-field when emer- 
gencies required, and in several instances, at the critical moment of the battle, 
when the scale was so evenly poised as to be doubtful which way it would turn, 
24 



370 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

this Provisional Brigade w:i.s sent to the support olthe wavering line and ma<ie 
victory secure. When inlantry was required lor duty with the cavalry in toil- 
some and fatiguing raids, tliis brigade, with our regiment, was ordered to ac- 
company the cavalry, or when regiments were taken from the entrenchment, 
this brigade was obliged to take their places in the works. While in front of 
Petersburg, Virginia, one-half of our regiment was on duty at Meade's head- 
quarters, and the other half on duty at City Point, Virginia. In the oiiicial 
report of General Patrick, dated the 10th day of August, 1864, he says the 
Sixt^'-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers has been employed as pri.son 
guard at these headijuarters. by no means a light duty, and lias given very gen- 
eral satisfaction in their performance of it. In the battle of the Wilderness and 
the skirmish at Guinea Station, May ;21, they acted with a gi-eat deal of dash 
and bi-avery. On the 3r)thday of June, 18(54, Colonel Tippin was released from 
Libby prison and exchanged, and resumed command of the regiment. In the 
last charge upon the enemy's lines at Petersburg, before the final move, our 
regiment was one of the storming party. In the sharp conflict which ensued, 
Major John C. Gallagher of our regiment was mortally wounded, and a number 
of our ofhcers and men were killed and wounded ; among those wouuded were 
Captain Michael Fulmer of Company K, who was badly wounded in the head. 
After the capture of Lieutenant-General Ewell and his forces at Sailor's 
Creek, Virginia, the Sixty-eighth Regiment, in conjunction with other regiments 
of the Provisional Brigade under the command of Colonel Tippin, was detailed 
to guard the prisoners and proceed with them to City Point, Virginia. The 
order was faithfully executed without the lo.ss of a man ; among the prisoners 
were Lieutenant-General Ewell, Major-Generals Custis Lee and Kershaw, and 
other prominent generals of the rebel army, and alx)ut six hundred officers of 
a lesser grade. This duty done, the regiment returned to the headquarters 
of the army near Appomattox, having in charge about 6,000 recruits that had 
accumulated at City Point. It had been but a short time with the moving 
column, when General Lee surrendered ; then General Jleadt; ordered the regi- 
ment, in company with the One hundred and forty-third Regiment Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers, to proceed to Hart's Island near the city of New York, to take 
charge of rebel prisoners confined there. We proceeded by cars to City Point 
and from City Point to Fortress Monroe by boat ; ujjon our arrival at the Fort- 
ress, we were transferred to and on board of a large government transjiort steamer 
and conveyed to Hart's Island : we remained upon llie Island until the 9tli day 
of June IHG."), when we were mustered out of service with four hundred and 
thirty-two officers and men upon the regimental rolls, and returned home lo 
Philadelj.hi;!. .hiiie 10. iHOf). 



ADDRFS.S OF HON. IIKKRV K. BOYKR. 

SURVIVORS of the, Sixly-eiglUh regiment :-- You and your friends are as- 
semljled liere to do honor to your fallen brethren ; and in the bright sun- 
light of tlie anniversary of a glorious day, you have unveiled to the world 
an everlasting monument tx> the memory of brave men and heroic dee<ls. 
And not to the memory of the brave and the heroic simply, for we stand with 
lieads un<M)vercd and bow in silent homage to a bravery hallowed by a love of 
country, and a heroism inspired by a devoted sen.^^e ofdut y to her. 



Pennsiflrmiid ai GctfysJturq. 371 

And here, after the lapse of a quarter of a centurv, anion}; the fair hills of 
Pennsylvania, and upon these consecrated grounds where a nation's dead lie 
buried, you have erected this beautiful monument, which for all time will stand 
to mark the spot where valor bled and ''red battle stamped his foot " among 
the roar of cannon, the flash of musketry, the groans oftlie dying, the huzzas 
of the victors and all the fierce music of war. 

Here upon this historic spot will this monument stand, down through the 
(•easeless march of time, whih; the music of tlie past will i'all fainter and fixinter 
upon the ear of the living present. This giand Commonwealth of Pennsylva- 
nia now teeming with the varied industries of man, and the busy marts of trade, 
will have become one vast workshop and emporium, situated in a lovely and 
cultivated garden ; and our glorious countr\', then of thirty millions, now of 
sixty, will have become oneof hundreds of millions of souls, rich in peace, rich 
in prosperity, rich in contentment, rich in all that constitutes life happy and 
benutiful : but this monument throughout the succession of generations, and 
when you and I shall belong to time no longer, will stand firm as its native rock, 
as a lasting memento to the honor of the Scott Legion, its steadfast services, its 
bloody fights, its glorious victories. 

The recollections of years of hard and constant service will not fade from your 
minds during life; they will be ever present while living and will crowd upon 
you in the hour of death. Three years of camp and march and field! Wbat 
hardships, toils and dangers are comprehended in this thought ; only you who 
have served your country can know. Can you forget your two days in the first 
line with your brigade at Fredericksburg where, among many others, your gal- 
lant Major Hawksworth and Lieutenant Davis fell ? Or your charge and cap- 
ture of the rifle pits at Chancellorsville? Or the la.st charge upon the enemy's 
lines at Petersburg? You will not forget them, nor Kelly's Ford, nor Locast 
Grove, nor ]Mine Run, nor your toilsome and fatiguing reserve duty. Nor has 
history forgotten to record your <-onstant and loyal service, your learless and 
stubborn courage. 

We, your friends, who meet with you to-day, cannot feel as you feel, however 
vivid our recollections, however loyal our sympathies. We were but readers 
of the blood }• drama in which you were the actors. Your toils and hardships 
t^mched our hearts with sympathetic grief.and your shouts of victory were echoed 
again and again, from every hill and valley, every town and city in the North. 
Your triumphs cheered us, your defeats depressed us, your trials saddened u.s, 
and words of cheer and blessing from friends and kindred came to you to nerve 
your arm and strengthen your spirit : but the joj- of victory and the sorrow of 
defeat could not .stir our souls as they did yours, for pain, and death, and victory 
were ever present, ever around you, glorious, dreadful realities. 

Veterans, I cannot tell the thoughts that sweep across your minds like waves 
spread o'er a troubled sea, upon this anniversary of that red day of fire and 
blood and roar and smoke, when, twentj'-five yeaas ago — aye, twenty -five vear.s 
ago this very hour — you st<x)d in yonder angle, high in the f eld, in regimental 
line of battle, exposed to charge of infantry and fire of artillery in front and 
flank. Death rode upon the smoke of battle into the ranks of the Sixty-eighth 
Regiment on that day, and made that bloody field the dying conch of many of 
your comrades. Here your Lieutenant-Colonel Reynolds fell mortally wounded, 
and at the close of that never-to-be-forgotten day. you were not half a regiment. 
Where was the mess that did not mourn a killed or wounded mate? Where 



372 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

were Captain McLearn and Lieutenants Black and Reynolds and Ealer, and 
Privates McGregor, and Evans, and Richards and Grau, and Sergeant Ililt and 
hosts of others ? They sleep their everlasting sleep upon the field they had 
helped to win, and this monument erected with the aid of a grateful people, 
stands to their glory and yours. Great was the Sixty-eighth Regiment on that 
dav in the Peach Orchard. Great was the First Brigade, great was the First 
Division, great was the Third Corps ! 

The pages of history are filled with the records of heroic achievements and 
dauntless valor, and the world has not yet ceased to admire the stubborn courage 
with which the British squares resisted the terrific onset of the hosts of Na- 
poleon at Waterloo ; but the magnificent bravery of the Army ot the Potomac 
at Gettysburg rivals all the glories of the past, and challenges the admiration 
of mankind. 

Survivors ot the Sixty-eighth Regiment, twenty-six years have rolled by 
since that September evening when you broke camp at Frankford and responded 
to your country's call. Workshop and office and farm were abandoned, home 
and friends and family left behind, by many never on this earth to be seen 
again. Sickness and battle thinned your ranks in war, and since the return of 
peace, those whom God had spared have become a scattered band. And now 
a gallant few, fast becoming veterans in years, you meet in this grand reunion 
of the old Army of the Potomac, as patriotic and enthusiastic as when the shock 
of battle made the hills of Gett/sburg tremble, to shake your surviving comrades 
bj" the hand, renew the scenes of camp fire and field, and dedicate to the mem- 
ory of the gallant armies that saved your homes from fire and sword, the.se 
monuments to the American soldier's valor. Your presence here and these 
monuments that dot the hills and plains around us, awaken thoughts that make 
our bosoms swell with pride and rivet tighter the bands that bind us as a com- 
mon brotherhood. Two thousand years ago the Roman's proudest boast was to 
say that " I am a Roman citizen." To-day no prouder title can be claimed 
than that of American citizen-ship, and no more glorious epitaph can adorn the 
tomb than "'He was a true American." 

From the days of Washington at Fort Duquesne to the days of Meade at Getty.s- 
turg, the American .soldier has })een distinguished for his patience, fidelity and 
bravery. Called, in the most sudden emergencies, from private life, to defend 
his country's honor or assert his country's rights, without previous military 
training, he has relied upon his native intelligence, perseverance and patriot- 
ism. Most rare indeed have been the occasions when he has not acquitted him- 
self with credit, and numberless are the times when the lowest in the ranks 
have developed into prodigies of valor. Sanguine in temper and prone to rash- 
ness, in trying moments when bayonet has flashed before bayonet, he has dis- 
played the coolness of a Marlborough, tlic stubborness of a MucDonald. Zeal- 
ous of lionor and promotion, he has risen rank by rank to high commands, and 
developed the highest qualities of generalship to his country's good and his 
own renown. The volunteer soldier of A merica stands liigh in the rolls of fame, 
and his name shines brightly on the pages of his country's history. 

The country is proud of its soldiers for they are proud of it. Its institutions 
are the foundations of his worth; for he is a sovereign citizen with rights be- 
fore the law surpassed by none, equalled by every one. He is a partaker in 
his country benefits. He is a sharer in her glory. He is the keeper of his 
country's honor! No man can say to him, stand aside! I inherited a higher 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 373 

rank thau you! And when labor and merit bring their just reward of wealth 
and recognition, no envious thoughts disturb his peace. He struggles upward 
for himself. His country educates him, shares the blessings with him and calls 
upon him in her hours of need; and he responds, without money and without 
price. He follows her starry flag wherever it may flutter in the breeze, and 
never fails to bring it home victorious. Such men are invincible! They light 
not for hire, but for their cause, because it is their country's! 

Friends, the war has long since passed. The din of battle has ceased. 
The swallow builds her nest within the cannon's mouth, and the songs of labor 
and contentment — the busy hum of trade, are wafted on the air from shore to 
shore. Peace broods o'er the land like a gentle spirit. 

Fair in her white robes as the day. 

When first she spreads her wings. 
Sweet as the flowers that early May, 

To verdant meadows brings. 

Foes in war, brothers in peace, meet to-day upon this hallowed ground, to 
clasp hands and join in summer's prayer — " Let the bugles sound the truce of 
God to the whole world forever! " 

In the battles of life we all are .soldiers. For the victories of peace we can 
all contend. For our country's honor we can all be champions in peace, as in 
war. In that grandest of armies, the brotherhood of man, we serve in the ranks 
in which God has placed us. Let us in our several stations and callings display 
the obedience to duty and hei'oism of our soldiers in the field, and each do his 
part in the building up and .strengthening of a nation, to the honor and gloiy 
of which the mightiest empires of the past will be but as shadows — above all 
let us keep warm within our breasts that patriotism and love of country which 
are the foundations of our nation's honor, the strong towers of her protection. 
In this spirit, and to this end, let us honor our soldiers living and dead, to 
whose glory these monuments around us are erected. They battled in your 
cause and in mine. They fought to conquer a peace. They died that the na- 
tion might live. Honor to the heroic dead. 



ADDRESS OF CAPTAIN THOMAS H. LEABOURNE. 

COMRADES: — Another year has passed away and gone and this beautiful 
summer's day finds us standing on this sacred spot, commemorating the 
memory of ctur fallen comrades. The hai'vest is ripening with the sum- 
mer's sun. 
The Alleghenies tower lofty above us; and our comrades to whom we dedi- 
cate this monument, lie buried at our teet; with what solemnity I approach 
this spot. When I look back, back a quarter of a century, and remember this 
grand old regiment left my native city with over one thousand men, the 
flower and youth of that city, and when I remember that only four hundred 
and thirty-two of them returned and were mustered out, is it any wonder 
that I say I approach this spot with a feeling of solemnity. The faces before me 
look from the hills of middle life down into the valley of declining years, and the 
heads are sprinkled with silver sand dropped from the hourglass of flying time. 
Are these the same young men who laid their schemes of life aside, abandoned 
their career, and with the spirit of patriots and the devotion of martyrs offered 



:174 Pennsylvania af Gettyshnrg. 

themselves a willing sacrilict? to that coiiulry whose startlwi hills were echoing 
to the guns of Sumter. This is not the tune nor is it the place to dwell \iiK)n 
the tender memories that connect themselves with this association, or the higher 
or nobler inspirations tliat come from this scene. 

I Ciinnot make my.self believe that twenty-five years ago yon who stand at 
my front were in the midst of actual war. and the whole world leaning for- 
ward breathless to hear the latest news from the scarred and bleeding front. 
I dose my eyes and the whole bloody panorama is unrolled before me. I catch 
the roll of the drum, and the shrill music of tlie fife; I see the marching 
columns stretched at-ross sea to lake; I hear the bullets whistle at the picket 
line; I catch the .sentry's call; a line of camp fires .stretches otf across a contin- 
ent; swords blaze: bayonets bristle, and a million men are under arms. 

The Army of the Totomac flings itself again and again against the enemy, 
night turns into day in the blaze of the cannonade, and up from, the field of 
blood comes the moans of wounded and dying. 1 hear the voice of a hundred 
thousand bleeding lives and broken homes, whence the Avail of agony arises; 
the vision pa.sses. I open my eyes upon a new life, new people, a new nation, 
disenthralled, regenerated, this by the goodness of Providence and the curing 
force of time. All the old scars are healed. The guns are silent and moss 
covered. Well for us and tor all of us, and all who come after us, that you and 
such as you fought. And 1 say that I count it my highest honor to be con- 
nected with those who played such parts in such an army. Peace has been greater 
than war, the skilful hand of science has brought into use unknown powers 
of the air, and mysterious forces of the earth, and the lovely hands of art are 
crowning our country with beauty. The numbers and wealth of our people 
have doubled, so has our territory, for the condemned deserts of the west turn 
out to be granaries ol' bread, and pastures of meat, for the world, the forbid- 
den rocks of silver and gold, and under their frowning peaks are found the 
sublime glories of luiture, the pleasure grounds of mankind. The genius of 
Amenca has united our distant coasts with bands of steel, and planted her feet 
upon those blue precipices which old explorers used to call the land of the 
shining mountains beyond the western plains. 

But, comrades, I am reminded that I am getting away from my duty. 'J'he 
oraticm of the day has already been delivered by my distinguished friend. I 
have a plain duty to perform, a duty that might have been ])laced in abler 
hands, but as I have assumed the responsibility, nothing remains but the ]>er- 
formance of that duty. 

Comrade Craighead: Your committee has designated me to present this 
monument to the Gettysburg Battle-field Memorial Association. And. com- 
rades and friends, this grand old regiment, with its Avar-worn ollicers who dis- 
tinguished themselves in more than one war, whose deeds of valor and whose 
bravery Avill be handed down to posterity, will live forever. Colonel Tip- 
pin was a born soldier, beloved by his otlicers and men ; he died as he lived, a 
faithful soldier, a true gentleman, a kind and loving hu.sband. Lieutenant- 
Colonel Ivcynolds, who was .shot and wounded on this field, and totally dis- 
abled lor future service, died in I'liiladelphia city but a few years since, hon- 
ored by all who knew him for his devotion to his country and to his people. 
The fearless and no less brav(! Major TIawksworth, was kille<l at tin; ))at- 
tle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, while gallantly leading his men. Caj)taiu 
Rolhirt K. ^^'inslow and snbse(|uent major and lieutenant-colonel, and ('apt.aiu 




PHOTO. BY W, H, TIPTOW, GETTYSBURG. 



PHINT: THE F. GUTEKUNST CO., PHILA. 



]''' tins 111 rnnia at Gettysburg. 375 

Michael Fulmer, subsequent major, all veterans of the Mexican war. C!olonel 
Winslow is still alive, Major Fulmer, the latter — look at the old war worn 
veteran bearing the scars ol" many battles and with over seventy years of life's 
battles passed, with all the vigor and manhood of a boy — is with us to-day. 

But do not have me forget the brave boys Avho ranked as privates, a braver 
and more determined and faithful regiment of men never entered the army, 
and, sir, in presenting to your association this beautiful monument, I do it with 
a devout reverence and with an undying love for the niemor3' of those brave men 
who in their youth and manhood offered and gave their lives that thiscoixntry 
might live. They fell defending and upholding all that that flag repre.sents 
and embodies ; the armies of tlie Union and the armies of the Rebellion to- 
gether, the people, north, and south, east and west, can and will make for all 
time to come this republic that Lincoln died for, a government of the people, 
\>y the people, and for the people; and now in the name and in behalf of the 
survivors of the Sixty-eighth Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry, Phila- 
delphia Scott Legion Regiment, I have the honor of presenting to your care 
and keeping this handsome granite monument which marks the .spot upon 
this memorial field where this grand old regiment .stood unflinching twenty- 
five years ago, and where their brave comrades fell and gave up their lives 
upon the altar of their couutrv that this glorious Union might be forever pei- 
petuated. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

69"^" REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September ii, 1889 
ADDRESS OF COLONEL JAMES O'REILLY 

COMRADES: — Standing here on ground at once historic and sacred, and 
to memory ever dear once again, I greet you, and to you I would say 
that this time — perhaps the last time, as an organized body, that we 
shall visit this hallowed .spot — we have come to pay final tribute, final 
honor, to our dead ; not only those who here fell fighting that the Union 
might live, but to all our comrades, who, on any of the battle-fields of the war for 
the Union (and that was nearly all in which the grand old Army of the Potomac 
took part) offered up their lives a willing sacrifice, that this, the most beneficent 
form of government which has ever blessed the earth, should be preserved and 
perpetuated in all its beauty, grandeur and greatness and forever. 
It is written that 

"Whether on the scaffold high, or in the battle's vaa. 
The noblest place for man to die, is where he dies for man." 
Is it so ? 

Then I claim for these, our fallen comrades, that they died in^the forefront 
of the battle, for the rights of man and in the interest of human "l^. 

Again, it is' written that " greater" love chan this hath no man, that he lay 
down his life for his friends," and who so proves his love for his friends as the 
soldier who willingly yields up life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in 
their interest. 



376 Penrusylvania at Gettysburg. 

Again, 1 claim for these, our comnules, that from the gloomy beginning of 
the struggle! in 1861, until its linal and glorious termination in 1865, they 
daily offered themselves to death and to God, with that sublime end in view. 
Does any man question this? Then to him I would say, "Behold a country, 
which \mder God's providence, has been and ia now the refuge of God's poor, 
the oppressed of all nations — preserved from destruction, let us hope forever. 
Behold the arch enemy of the liberties of this and of all nations and peoples, 
utterly discomfited and thwarted in her vile purpose of disrupting, destroying 
this government of the people, for the people, and by the people, who. not as of 
yore, by brazen armed intervention in our affairs, but this time by most wily 
and insidious means, did all in her j)ower to ruin and make it a dependency 
of hers and plunder and impoverish its people. Of course, I allude to the gov- 
ernment of England. And, again, behold a hideous crime atoned for, a foul 
blot wiped out forever — in blood, it is true — but Aviped out forever by the en- 
franchisement of over lour millions of bondsmen, slaves set free, a dissevered 
people reunited, the blessings of peace restored." 

Oh! surely, my dear comrades, living and dead, it was a holy cause you 
battled for. Yea, and God's holy ones, the priests of God, were with us. They 
blessed our arms and the hands that bore them. They accompanied us to the 
field and daily ministered to our spiritual wants, and by word and example 
did what they could to encourage us and bless our efi"orts — God bless them, 
dear Fathers Martin, Paul E. Gillen, Corby, Willets, McKee. Dillion, and a 
host of others, God be with them. 

Comrades, it is als.) written that it is a wholesome and a holy thought to 
pray lor the dead. Forget not this duty, this day nor any other day of the 
time that is left you. Pray then to the Lord of Hosts, the God of Battle, for 
your dead, for all the dead, whose souls rebaptized in their blood, went up to 
him amidst scenes of strife and carnage during those dire years of war and its 
attendant calamities. They may need our prayers — who can tell? Pray then, 
most ardently, I beseech you, for the .soul of that heroic soldier, Colonel Dennis 
O'KaiK!, who fell near the spot now marked by our monument, where, but a 
short time before, he stood grimly smiling at the stubborn resistance offered by 
the sturdy men under his command, t<j the fier(!e onslaught of Pickett's men, 
and forget not the other brave ofiicers and enli.sted men, who, to the number 
of one hnndrcMl and forty -seven, fell here beside him, and whose unparalleled 
bravery and stubborn courage here tos.sed back the highest, mightiest wave of 
the Rebellion. 

Nor would I have you forget those of our comrades, who fell on other fields 
than this, for 

Some fell on far-off fields of fame. 
Some here sank down to rest, 

And tlicdear land tliey loved so well, 
Now folds tliem to licr breast. 

All nearly ffone, yet still lives on 
The memory of those who died, 

And true men, like you men. 
Remember them with pride. 

Comrades, in thus honoring thi; dead, you do honor to the living. You honor 
yourselves, and that beautiful monument will tell the story to generations yet 
unborn, of your heroic deed, and the deeds, the heroism of the comrades who 
have gone on to " fame's eternal camping ground " before you. They lived 
-with honor — ^they died with honor; be it yours to follow their example. 



Pennsylvania at. Gettysburg. 377 

And now, dear comrades, as a part of the duty assigned me on this occasion, 
I will proceed to give our hearers a ])rief glimpse of the early history of the 
regiment. 

Long before grini-visaged civil war reared his horrid front in this our hind, 
affrighting the inhabitants thereof, there existed in th<! (;ity of Philadelphia, 
State of Pennsylvania, a body of Irish-American citizen soldiery, known as 
the Second Regiment Philadelphia County Volunteers. It was numbered the 
Second Regiment, Second Brigade, and belonged to the First Division Penn- 
sylvania Militia. 

The material of which it was composed (the officers and men) was recruited 
or came from the humbler walks of life in the great city. They were mostly 
hardy sons of toil; men who earned their bread by the sweat of their brows. 
But very ambitious in a military jioint of view, and very patriotic, always 
ready to obey the orders of their officers; always ready to defend the authori- 
ties and assist them, whether national, state or city; ever ready to shed their 
blood, if necessary, in defense of the honor and integrity of their adopted 
country, while cherishing an ardent love for the land of their birth, not be- 
cause of the nationality of the officers and men, and the names of the companies 
of which it was composed. It was frequentl}', and truth compels me to add, 
derisively styled the Irish brigade, and there are here, to-day, some who can 
look back with shame and sorrow, to the time when hisses, derisive cries and 
shouts of contempt were freely Ijestowed on us, and on more than one occasion 
something harder, in the shape of bricks and stones, fell thick and fast in the 
ranks of the organization, as it marched through the streets of that city — the 
city of brotherly love. 

But, thanks to God, and the services rendered by them and kindred organ- 
izations of which there were many in the late war, such senseless bigotry, such 
mean and contemptible prejudice obtains no more in this broad land. 

And, oh, my countrymen, Irishmen,whata debt of gratitude you owe to these, 
our comrades, to the brave men of our race, who, to the number of one hundred 
and forty-four thousand (see Professor Gould's statistics) went into the field in 
defense of our adopted country and made such a glorious record there. Nor 
does the above number include the tens of thousands of Irishmen's sons and 
their immediate descendants who took part in the strife on the side of the gov- 
ernment. 

At the outbreak of the war the above organization was altered, as follows: 

For certain cogent reasons, Colonel Conroy resigned and by the advice and 
on the recommendation of the brigade commander. General John D. Miles, 
Joshua T. Owen was elected to fill the vacancy, D. Heenan remained lieuten- 
ant-colonel; James Harvey, beaten in the race for the majority, resigned and 
organized a company for Max Einstein's regiment. Dennis O'Kane, then cap- 
tain of Company C, was elected major, and James O'Reilly, fourth sergeant of 
Company C, was elected captain of said company; in this order the regiment 
entered the field as the Twenty-fourth Infantry Penn.sylvania Volunteers for 
three-months' service under the call of the President for seventy-five thousand 
men. The regiment faithfully performed all duties assigned it, and was one 
of the two regiments who listened to the appeal of General Patterson to re- 
main in the field after its service had expired until reinforcements could arrive 
to defend the upper Potomac, although over two hundred of the men were 
shoeless and with underwear for breeches. 



378 Pcnihsijivania af (Tettjishiinj. 

-MustL'icd out Aujiust !), 1861, it was iiuincdiutt'ly reorgani/A-d lor thrct'-y ears' 
service as the Second Kegiment of Baker's Brigade, afterwards known as the 
Sixty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers. It would have been known as the Sixty- 
eiglith but for a few of tlic old oiiicers who were proud of the record made by 
their kiiulnd of the Sixty-ninth New York, and appealed to Colonel Andrew 
Tii>i)in and his oHicers to exchange numbers —this tliey agreed to do, and the 
consent of the great War (lovernor. A. (J. Curtin. himself Irish by descent, l>eiDg 
obtained, the regimeut became the Sixty-ninth. 

lM)ur of the comj)any <'oiumauders. for reasons l)est known to them.selves, re- 
I'used to remain under the former command, and left the organization. These 
were Captains Thomas A. Smyth, Hujjh liodgers and James McGeough and P. 
O. Murphy. Captains liogers and McGeough were replaced by Captains Thomp- 
son and Fury, and sometime after its arrival in the field it was joined by two 
companies under Captains Davis and McNamara. 

The complexion of the iield and staff was altered by the retirement of Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Dennis Heenau, who afterwards organized the One hundred 
and sixteeutli Pennsylvania Volunteers, and the appointment to his place of 
Major Dennis O'Kane ; .Tohn Devereux of Chestnut Hill was made major ; Mar- 
tin Tschudy, a prominent young lawyer of West Washington Square, was ap- 
pointed adjutant ; C. C. Bombaugh, M. D., surgeon ; and B. A. McNeill, assis- 
ant surgeon, with J. Robinson Miles as quartermaster. 

During its organization, some generous friends of the regimeut, headed by 
Thomas Dolan, Esq., procured and presented to the regiment a beautiful green 
flag. On one side was jiainted the coat-of-arms of Pennsylvania, and on the 
other the Wolf-dog, Round Tower and Sunburst of Ireland. And here let me 
c;Ul your attention to the fact that the Sixty-ninth was the only regiment that 
went out from the State of Pennsylvania carrying the flag of Ireland side by 
side with those of the United States. Uixder these flags, these glorious emblems, 
under officers tried and true, a sturdier, nobler-hearted, braver body of men 
than those who in this regiment left Philadelphia for Washington in the early 
fall of 1861, it were hard to find. I say this as a comrade, as one who by long 
association with the majority of them before and during the war had learned 
their worth. I say it because I am speaking of the dead — the greater number 
having pas.sed from scenes of strife here below to, I fervently hope, the peaceful 
abode of the bles.sed. 

And without disparagement to our comrade regiments, or any body of troops 
then in the field, I claim lor this regiment, iirst, that it faithfully performed 
all duties assigned it, in camp, in garrison, on the march or in battle, never 
turning its rear to the enemy, except when compelled by orders from superior 
authority ; second, that the regiment never lost a flag to the enemy, and on two 
occasions .saved the colors of other regiments from falling into the enemy's 
hands ; third, that by its desperate charge at Clendale or Fray.ser's Farm, it saved 
the day and possibly the army ; fourth, that this regimenl furnished to the 
service three able general officers, to-wit, General J. T. Owen, a former com- 
mander, General M. Kerwin, formerly a sergeant in Company U, now editor 
and proprietor New York Tablet, and General Thomas A. Smyth, Avho was for- 
merly captain Company 11 (Twenty-fourth), and whom, I believe to be the 
last general officer killed on the Union sule during the war ; fifth, that but for 
the mistaken zeal in the performance of his duty and the persistent and j)ositive 
relusal on the part of Captain Wm. Mcliride, Seventy-second I'euusylvania Vol- 



Pe)in.si//ra)i:i(i af Crettyslmrq. 379 

unteera to permit it, the flag of this regimt'iit would have been the first t-o float 
over the enemy's work at York town, and in all probability, the regiment would 
have furnished a fourth general olfictT to the service, as Devens of Massachusetts, 
who entered the works lour hours later, was made a general therefor ; sixth, 
that this regiment was among the lirst to enter the field m defense of the Union, 
and served continnously until honorably mustered out at flu; dose of the war 
by reason of its services being no longer i-equired. 

All this to your lasting (-redif, my comrades living, all this to the honor of 
the dead of this regiment, who here and elsewhere sleep the sleep that knows 
no waking — ah ! 

How sl(!ep tlie brave who sink to rest 
By all their country's wishes blest. 
When sprin}? with dewy fingers cold, 

Ketunis to deck their hallowed mould, 
Even freedom shall awhile lepair 
To dwell a weeping' hermit there. 



ORATION OF CAPTAIN JOHN E. REILIA 

("A UMRADP]S of the Sixty -ninth: — We have again met on this historic field 
to rededicate this memorial shaft which marks the spot made famous by 
/ your heroic deeds. Within the twenty -five square miles of this battle- 
field there are many interesting places where many deeds of bravery 
were performed, but there was but one Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, and on 
this spot, and by you, my comrades of the Sixty-ni nth, ably supported liy your 
comrades of the Philadelphia Brigade, was that charge met, and the flood-tide 
of rebellion checked. It was here you met the flower of the Confederate army 
in band-to-haud encounter, and here many of our brave companions laid down 
their lives in that terrible struggle. 

When Hancock arrived on this field during the first day's fight everything 
was in doubt ; the right wiug of the army having been driven from beyond the 
town, the gallant Reynolds killed, and many of the regiments panic-stricken 
in consequence of their loss. And not until he brought his own Second Corps 
on the field and deployed them along this ridge on the 2d, and brave Warren 
had secured Round Top for the artillery, was our army secure in its position. 

The Sixtj'-ninth Regiment was placed along the slope of this ridge and or- 
dered to hold the line .secure in this position. And you faithfully did what you 
were told, as in every position throughout the Avar in which you were placed 
you proved faithful to the trust. 

On the afternoon of the 2d, the enemy in force attacked the left ; the brave 
Sickles was badly wounded and his corps being dri ven from its advanced position, 
when gallant Hancock came to the rescue. But so impetuous was the enemy's 
assault, that on they came like the fury of the whirlwind, until they had ad- 
vanced to within a few i^aces of this line ; the battery on your front was driven 
from its position and two of its guns were left to the advancing enemy who made 
several desperate attempts to capture them, and was driven from them each 
time by your well-directed fire until at last they were forced to retire, the guns 
recovered from the batteiy, the contest for the day ceased, and the Sixty-ninth 
nobly held their po.sitiou. 

On the third day, notwithstanding there had been ample time for entrenching, 



380 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

there "were no entrenching tools furnishinl and consequently no attempts made 
to strengthen this position expecting every moment a renewal of the contest, 
when suddenly, about one o'clock, yonder ridge commenced to belch forth its 
volcanic lire on your unprotected position. Shot, shell, Whitworth bolts, every 
missile known to modern warfare, was thrown against this position for two long 
hours. This was the prelude to the most desperate infantry charge of modern 
times, for soon Pickett's Division was seen marching out from the shelter of 
j^onder woods with colors flying defiantly to the breeze and seeming to say, \V<; 
come to pierce your center, match us if you can. 

Kemper, Garnett and Armistead, 4,900 strong, with Heth's Division under 
I'ettigrew on their left, and "Wilcox's Division on their right, the whole of the ad- 
vancing column about 13,000 men. 

Pickett's men had been given this clump of trees as an objective point lor 
their attack, and the Sixty -ninth was the barrier between them. On they came 
in grand display, and, notwithstanding their ranks were being thinned by the 
artillery fire from all along this ridge, they marched forward with the steadiness 
of men on parade seeming determined to sweep all before them. These, my 
comrades, were the moments that tried men's souls, none but the bravest hearts 
could await the assault which was then approaching, but as confidently as the 
attacking column came just as confidently did you await their coming. The 
eyes of the whole country were at that moment centered on Getty.sburg, and 
fervent prayers were ascending to the God of Hosts that the sweeping flood of 
rebellion should be checked. All attention of both armies was directed to this 
position, for soon the giants met to determine the fate ol the day, and then was 
the tug of war on your front and in your midst. My comrades, the pride of the 
rebel army was broken, demoralized and almost annihilated. Aye ! the proud 
and defiant champions of Lee's army had met their match. The gauntlet so 
defiantly thrown down by them had been picked up, and they paid the penalty 
for tlieir rashness. Tliese fields were covered with their dead who came never 
to return again. 

Pickett's charge was repulsed and the country saved. Harrisburg, Phila- 
delphia and Pennsylvania relieved, for had General Lee's plan succeeded in 
cutting this center position, nothing could have stayed their onward march ; 
so here, on this very spot, the flood-tide of rebellion reached its high water-mark, 
from whence it was ever after made to recede. But at what frightful cost 
of jjrecious blood, 40,000 mowed down in that mighty harvest of death around 
this little town of Gettysburg, and you, my comrad<'S, contributed largely to 
that number. Your gallant leaders. Colonel O'Kane and Lieutenant-Colonel 
Tschudy were killed, and of the two hundred and fifty-eight comrades of tlui 
Sixty-ninth llegiment entering the fight on the 2d of July, 1863, you lost in 
killed, wounded and missing, lifty-five per cent, of that number in this battle. 

Tennyson has immortalized in poem the famous six hundred who lost thirty- 
six and s(!ven-tenths per cent, at Balaklava, and we read in history of great 
achievements being performed on other battle-fields, but, my comrades, the 
deeds and glories of lioman legion and Gnjcian plialanx would pale before the 
deeds of valor performed at Getty.sburg 

Centuries may pass and new generations ])opnIate our land, yet the name of 
Gettysburg will not fail to call bcibre memory the heroic deeds enacted there. 
Its deeds of valor are not chanted in undying epic or immortal poems, yet be- 
side Thermopylae and Marathon, Waterloo and lialaklava, stands the name of 









^^^ 









PHOTO. Bf W. H. TIPT3N, GCTTYSBURG. 



PRINT : THE F. GUTCKUNST CO., PHILA. 



Pennsyhmnia at Gettysburg. 381 

Gettysburg, and coupled witli that ofCreltyHhurg as oiio of the glittering stars 
in the brilliant firmament of fame, will be that of the gallant old Sixty-ninth 
Pennsylvania. Many years liave jiassed, my comrades, since your brave deeds 
helped to make this field famous. In all these years you had no one to sing 
your jji-aise. You modestly awaited the time when the truth of history must be 
known, and your deeds would then comi)are favorably with the most valiant. 
You were always placed where carnage was thickest and you unflinchiugly did 
your duty. None could do more. Few did as well. 

But look now once more on these fields which were once the theatre of bloody 
strife; the scenes have changed. These ridges no longer belch forth their vol- 
canic fires; the beaten intervale furrowed by shot and shell is smoothed by roll- 
ing years. The trees have drawn their coats of bark over their wounds, the 
sharp volleys of musketry have ceased, no i>arks of artillery awake their thunder, 
no hoofs of rushing squadrons sink into the bosoms of the dying, the shrieks of 
the wounded are hushed. No comrade searches for friend, no father- for son, jio 
sister for brother, the actors have disappeared, the dead are mingled with the 
dust, the survivors scattered and the great chieftains liave fallen asleep. Horse 
and rider, plume and epaulet, flashing sword and gleaming bayonet, cannon 
and cannoneer, trumpet and banner, have all vanished, and the sun as it rises 
from its purple bed, crowns the battle-field with the jewels of the morning, and 
mantles the warrior's grave with tender grass and nodding flowers. So may there 
come through this great war perennial peace. May time assuage all sorrows 
and heal all wounds. May the blood of the sacrifice cement and sanctify the 
Union and the principles settled by it stand forever. May the north and south, 
the east and M'est, our whole country redeemed, reformed, regenerated, unite 
to perpetuate the nation over which the star of the empire, having no farther 
west to go, may pause, shine and stay forever. 



w 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

71^'^- REGIMENT INFANTRY 

July 3, 1887 

.\1)DRESS OF fOHN W. FRAZIER 

ITHIN a day or two of the firing upon Fort Sumter by the rebels of the 
South under command of General Beauregard, the Hon. Edward D. 
Baker, a Senator from Oregon, called upon President Lincoln and 
tendered his services in any capacity he might best serve his country, 
or the President choose to make use of them. President Lincoln promptly sug- 
gested that he raise a regiment of infantry, and Senator Baker at once started 
for the city of New York for that purpose. 

The firing upon Sumter had caused a great uprising of the people of the loyal 
North, and in harmony with that patriotic impulse of the people, a great town 
meeting was held in the city of New York, at which Senator Baker was invited 
to be present and to speak. Never did the eloquent statesman from the Pacific 
slope speak more feelingly than on this occasion, and with a voice tremulous 
with emotion and a determination characteristic of the great patriot he closed 
that short speech in these words: 



382 J^rnnst/lvaiiia at freftyshurg. 

And if from the far Pacitic a voice feebler than the feeblest murmur upon its shore 
may be here to (rive you courage and hope in the contest, that voice is yours to-day ; and 
if a man wliose hair is gray, wlio is well-nigh worn out in the battle and toil of life, may 
pledge himself on such an occasion and in such an audience, let me say as my last word, 
that when amid sheeted lire and tlamo T saw and led the hosts of New i'ork as they 
charged upon a foreign soil for the honor of your Hag, so again, if Providence shall will 
it, this feeble hand shall draw a sword never jet dishonored--not to light for distant 
honor in a foreign land, but to fight for country, lor home, for law, lor government, 
for constitution, for right, for freedom, for humanity, and in the hope that the banner 
of my country nniy advance, and wheresoever that Ijanner wa%'es there glory may fol- 
low and freedom be established. 

(Jolouel E. I). Baker was born in Englaiul and with bis parents and a younger 
brother came to this country when he was about ten years of age; they settled 
in Philadelphia in which city he attended the public schools until the deatli of 
his father which compelled him to seek employment in one of the many cotton 
mills of Philadelphia. At the age of twenty-one years he started for the great 
West, settling in Springfield, Illinois, where he soon afterwards commenced the 
stud}' followed by the practice of law. In the year 1846 he was elected to Con- 
gress as a Whig, defeating Abraham Lincoln V)efore the nominating convention. 
lllH)i\ the bieaking out of the Mexican war, Congressman Baker returned to 
Springfield, rai.sed a regiment of infantry and with it joined General Scott's 
army on its march to the city of Mexico. After the battle of Cerro-Gordo Col- 
onel Baker was placed in command of a brigade. After the close of the Mexi- 
can war he returned to Illinois, and was again elected to Congress from that 
State. In 18.51 he removed to San Francisco; later on he removed to Oregon 
Territory, and was chosen the first United States Senator upon that territory's 
entrance into the Union — taking his seat in the United States Senate on tlie 
day that Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated President, March 4, 1861. 

Sometime during the month of April. 1861, President Lincoln gave infonnal 
authority to Colonel Baker to raise a regiment of iufantrj-, and he went from 
Washington to Xew York for that purpo.se, but not meeting with the success 
he anticipated he came on to Philadelphia for the purpose of conferring with 
Isaac J. Wistar, his law partner during the time he was a resident of San 
Francisco. Wistar promised to raise a regiment inside of thirty days, but his 
legal mind led him tn suggest that official authority first be obtained. That 
was given by General Cameron in the following form: 

Wak Dkpaktment, 
Washington City, Mni/ 8, ]s«i. 
Colonel E. D. ItAKKH, SeiinU:: 

Sir :— You are authorized to raisci for the service of the United States, a regiment of 
troops (Infantry), with yourself as colonel, to be taken as a portion of any troops that 
may be called from the State of California by the United States, and to be known as 
the California Ucgiment. Orders will be issued to the mustering officer in New York 
to muster the same into the service as soon as presented. 

In case the proper government officers are not j)repared to furnish clothing for t lie 
men of your regiment at the time you find it necessary, you are authorized to purchase 
for cash their outtit of clothing, provided the sam(^ is properly charged on the muster 
rolls of your (command. 

I am. sir, very resjiectfully, 

Vour obedient servant, 

Sl.M()N Camekon, 
Secrrtary of War. 

Even pn-vious 1o the writing of that letter by the Secretary of War, Mr. 
Wistar had tluee eomjianies. A, B and (', inustereti int<j service lor three years, 
the muslcriiifi ollii <-r. Coloiul li'iilV. ol'ilit- I'liited States army, j)erfoiiniiig that 



Pen7tsii] rttiiid (tt (ictfyshiirg. 383 

dnty in riiihidelphiu, ;uul betore tlu; liisl ilay ol' .Iuik- a full regiment of ten 
companies was organized, equipped and drilling in s(iu;ul. company, battalion 
and regimental manoeuvres on tlie beautiful parade grounds of Fort Schuyler, 
located at tbe junction of East river and Long Island Sound. The eni-olment 
and muster of several comjianies of the regiment are dated April 16, 1861. 

Such, in brief, was the formation of the California regiment, afterwards the 
Seventy-first of the Peun.sylvania line. Its colonel was a member of Congress 
when the Jlexican war ]»roke out and resigned his seat to lead a regiment and 
brigade in that conflict; he was a Senator in Congress when the rebellion to 
overthrow the government of the United States began, but, at the request of 
President Lincoln, he retained his seat in tbe Senate while in command of his 
regiment, and the Seventy-first had the di.stiuction of being commanded by an 
officer who was at the same time a Senator of the United Stat«s — an honor ■un- 
corded to no other regiment during the war of the rebellion. 

Colonel E. D. Baker was in truth a statesman and sohlier; he fell Avith his 
face to the foe at Ball's Blufl' his body pierced by seven rebel bullets; his death 
took from the Philadelphia Brigade its loved and loving commander; it made 
vacant a seat in the Senate, and it cast a deep gloom, a shadow dark, over the 
whole loyal North. 

On the 13th of April, 1886, the surviving members of the Seventy-first Regi- 
ment Pennsylvania Volunteers organized a regimental association, and, under 
the chairmanship of Lieutenant \Vm. S. Stockton, proceedings were begun for 
tbe erection of a monument to mark the line of battle held by the regiment at the 
Bloody Angle of Cemetery Ridge, and on the afternoon of July o, 1887, in the 
presence of seven hundred surviving members of the Philadelphia Brigade, of 
nearly all the surviving members of Cowan's New York Battery, of three hun- 
dred members of Pickett's Division of Confederate soldiers who were present 
as the invited guests of tbe Philadelphia Brigade, and more than two thousand 
citizens of Gettysburg and the surrounding country, the As.sociation of Survi- 
vors of the California Regiment, the Seventy -first of the Pennsylvania Line, de- 
dicated their monument. 



ADDRESS OF GENERAL W. W. BURNS, U. S. A. 

BAKER'S California Regiment: — Called into being by the inspiring elo- 
quence of the great orator who.se name you bore, how could a ' ' dumb ser- 
vitor " of the State master such glowing sentences to vibrate a rythmic 
sound in your ears or stir a throbbing pulse in your hearts? 
I came to you when in the deepest mourning for your dead father — stricken 
on the field of battle before your eyes — when your hearts refused to be com- 
forted. Like the Lsraelites in Egypt, you felt that I was a Pharaoh, who knew 
not Joseph, and oppressed you^strangers in a strange land. You had Ijeen 
reared under patriarchal rule; I brought the iron autocratical rule of stern 
discipline. How you hated the despot ! who, if not an usurper, used all the 
forms of tyranny. 

I had to be cruel, only to be kind, to arouse your lethargy to a sense of duty. 
Your health, your life, and your honor were in my keeping, all shaken at Ball's 
Bluflf, and to be tried in futtire fields. You forgave me when you knew. The 



384 Pennsylvania at Geityfihurg. 

hour of yonr forgiveness is stamped upon my memory — it was at Fair Oaks. 
The brigade was in column, closed in mass, the sound of battle approaching. 
An awe of expectancy was in the surrounding stillness, when suddenly was 
heard the pattering of balls on the leaves of the forest trees near. The shriek 
of a shell! The detonating crash of its bursting overhead! Then the wolfish 
howl, first heard — the rebel yell ! 

The mass was jietrified. A shiver ran through tlie ranks. I turned and saw 
a -sea of upturned faces, pale as the dead. I was shocked. My outburst of 
" Steady men'^ was like a thunder-clap in a clear sky — an electric shock — that 
ran through the nerves, and sent the blood back to the surface. The reaction 
was instantaneous. A shout arose in answering confidence, which made the 
welkin ring. Caps were thrust ou bayonets and run up in air. Round after 
round of stentorian cheers rolled over the field, which were said to have checked 
the onset of the foe, and strengthened friends far and near. It was a moral 
victory, followed by a victory in deeds. 

That moment cemented a union between the hearts of the men and that of 
their general, never to be weakened. What was the lesson of that hour ? It 
was the confidence of discipline. The shoulder to shoulder camaraderie. The 
doubt of your fitness for the work was instantly removed. You were eager for 
the test of your prowess, to win your fame, to conquer under your flag. I said 
in my report of that battle, " My brigade was christened under fire. It will 
do what is required of it. " So you did. In every battle afterwards it stood 
like a wall in the fight. I had occasion soon after to thank a captain of your 
regiment, before the brigade, for stemming a torrent with his men, when at- 
tacked behind the rifle-pits we had captured at Garnett's Farm. I had occa- 
sion to report at Peach Orchard, where your regiment alone held an army in 
check, " The Seventy-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, under its gallant young 
lieutenant-colonel, wrung high encomiums from the corps commander, who 
knows what hard fighting means." 

At Glendale (Charles City Cross Roads) I sent you in with the Nineteenth 
Massachusetts, to fill a gap between the Sixty-ninth acd Seventy-second Penn- 
sylvania of our brigade, where you met and repulsed the advancing and exult- 
ing foe, and, although we did not know it then, your crashing volleys held 
forty thousand men at bay, who, but for our brigade, would have pierced the 
line of march of our army at that point. 

Why the.se reminiscences of other fields than Gettysburg ? My farewell order 
enjoined strict adherence to discipline. The God of war did not, like Minerva, 
spring full equipped from the head of Jove. You were preparing for the cul- 
minating test of discipline. You were destined to fill a space in a line of bat- 
tle with the world for spectators, where the typical clan of the cavalier was to 
hurl its momentum against disciplined cou' i,ge-- the staying qualities of the 
cooler North — wliere the waves of tiie hif-'^iest tide of war were to d;ish upon 
the rocks of the Union, that echoed in the ear, "Thus far, no further; and the 
mighty ocean of .strife was to ebb back into the bed of peace." Pickett's charge 
will live in song, and its sad requiem will echo " the Philadelphia Brigade." 
"When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war." Llere ujx)n this his- 
toric field Americans can say the same of Americans. Which can claim superi- 
ority, when perhaps chance turned the scale? Had some other brigade been 
here, without your staying qualities — had not the prescience of your colonel 
seized upon the guns loaded and capped, left by the dead and wounded of the 



Ppunsylvavia at Gettyshnrg. 385 

day bef'.^re, and piled lierc opportunely at hand, whereby he mnltiplied the 
force of your lire many times your numl)ers, and by so placing his right belnnd 
■walls as to enfilade the advancing mass ; had not the oue,pieceof cannon been 
seized by the aid of your infantry, and run into the angle of wall to be loaded 
to the muz/le with broken shells, balls and bayonets. Inirling its deadly con- 
tents into tlie staggering mass at a close range ; had not your brothers of the 
Sixty-ninth wheeled to face the breach opposite, and take the foe in tiank, 
while the Seventy-second and a part of the One hundred and sixth advanced to 
meet his front — what might have been the result at that weak center? 

These unique and terrible resources might well have astonished and broken the 
hearts of exhausted manhood. They exhibited the genius of war in concen- 
trating on strong points, and opening a trap to choke in a defile. The Ood of 
battles alone can know why the center of our army was not pierced on that 
day. But we now know that it was the second time in the history of the war 
that the Army of the Potomac owed to the Philadelphia Brigade the safety of 
its center. The fact that less than a hundred Confederates cros.sed that stone 
wall proves that the force of the charge was broken by the cross-fire beyond, 
and these could well be cared for by the reserve of the brigade. Bachelder's 
map shows the great space between your brigade and that on your right, the 
thinnest of the line. You claim only to have done your duty, but the time, 
place, and opportimity were yours. God, in his all-wise providence, decided 
events. We are now united, never again to be divided; our Union is cemented 
with our blood. Those who fell are honored as heroes; those who remain are 
brothers in arms, dedicating here mementoes of valor, not of .strife. T met re- 
cently an officer, a colonel, here. He said he started to ride at General Armi- 
stead, to overthrow him, and prevent the men from shooting him. This was 
valor in strife, honorable warfare, so different from political .strife, which 
never forgives its own wrong-doing. 

The Philadelphia Brigade fraternizes with Pickett's Division. They re- 
cognize each other's bravery and respect each other's fame. The world will 
ap])laud both alike, and history will record their deeds together. This mem- 
orial of a regiment's deeds is a memento-mori of those who fell on both sides, 
and will be a guide-mark on the route to fame tor the future American soldier. 

The fortunate few who fought here that day, must wear the wreath of great- 
est glory, for the most conspicuous hand-to-hand encounter. That honor is 
shared by the Seventy-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, as a member of the Phila- 
delphia Brigade, which received the force of the gallant charge of Pickett's 
Division. It is not invidious to speak of this regiment and that brigade, for 
it was the key of the position, and it was the fate of war. 

Other regiments and other brigades did their duty, and assisted in the fight; 
but here was the point of atuxck, here the rain of shot and shell centered, and 
fell in torrents long before the chai/e. Here is the historic spot, and arbnnd it 
a halo of glory will ever cluster, and,the aureole encircle the brows of those who 
fought, with the light of undying fame. 

It ia fiat justifia that Pennsylvania's sons should here defend theirnative soil. 



25 



386 Pennsyh-ania at Gettysburg. 



ADDRESS OF BRIGADIER-CiENERAI. ISAAC J. WISTAR, U.S. V. 

C">(»MKADES and Mends: — Upon me has been conferred the honor of deliv- 
ering this completed monument to the custody and pious care of the 
Hattle-lield :Memoria] AssoiMution. 

We hoi»e it may endure while these surrounding hills shall stand, not 
simplv to mark lor posterity this spot on \vhi(tli such momentous events trans- 
pired, but as a memorial from us few survivors to commemorate the far great«'r 
number of our glorious dead. 

You must give me a minute to recover myself. 1 cannot look on your small 
array — jntiful indeed in numbers, though in nothing else — without contrasting 
it with the numerous and gallant body 1 once led. and the feeling is too much 
for me. 

Your regiment, tlie 8eventy-tirst of Pennsylvania, was mustered in on the 
16th of May, 1S(U, by a captain of engineers, who afterwards became one of 
the greatest and most distinguished .soldiers of our country, and whose great 
fame and reputation are among the most precious possessions of his fellow-sol- 
diers and countrymen, General William F. Smith. 

It serve<l its term in the Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac, but 1 
will not ent«r on its histoiy, w^hich is well known to every gallant soldier of 
that army. It was entitled to be mustered out on the 16th of May, 1864, when 
the army was locked in deadly embrace with the brave Army of Northern Vir- 
ginia, but at the call of its corps commander cheerfully remained and partici- 
pated in the bloody assaults at Cold Harbor, where an hi.storian has justly said 
that the Second Corps sutiered losses from which, though it recovered and con- 
tinued in .service till the last day of tlu' war. it w;i,s n<;ver afterwards (ixactly 
the siime lM)dy it had been. 

1 cannot spe^vk to you with calmness, if you think 1 can or ought to look 
on the s<^nty and battered remnant of your once splendi<l array unmoved you 
are wrong. I cannot do it. 

Enough, however, has been .said here by far better orators, though one hun- 
dr«l times as much would be inadequate tt> express the reminiscences and 
solemn thoughts which this historic spot and our dwindled ranks of scarred and 
battered survivors send surging through our breasts and welling from our eye. 
I cannot look into your faces and speak with steady voice. I can say no more 
now. but will express one single sentinu;nt which I l)elieve will reach all of our 
hearts. That while lif(! remains for this small icMunant. we may every one of 
us, till our last breath, continue to cherish for our friends and comrades, affec- 
tion, love and personal friendship, and to .share with our gallant enemies of 
long ago enemies, thank God, no longer —peace, concord and fellowshi]) under 
one common flag forever more. 



Pennsylvania at Gettyshurg. 387 



DEDICATION OF MONUMKNT 

7:2'^ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

Jn.Y 4, 1S91 
ADDRKSS OF COMRADE JOHN' REED 

FRIENDS and comrades: — Tim war is over, your Icjial contest is at an end. 
It bisconjcs my duty as chairman oftlie monument committee of the 
.Seventy-second Regiiiient to make a few remarks before phicing the 
monument in your care. In 1887, the State of P'ennsylvania determined 
to erect monuments to mark the spots where eaiih Pennsylvania command wjis 
engaged in the battle of Gettysburg. Tlie legislature passed an act appropriat- 
ing $1,500 to each regiment, and the Governor was required to appoint five 
commissioners to co-operate with five survivors of each command, in the selec- 
tion of a design and location of the monument. Your committee selected a de- 
sign which was approved b}- the Commission : it was a typical soldier of the 
day, a youth, tor yon will remember, that at the original muster of your regi- 
juent. 1,185 names were on your rolls, 1,300 of whom were under the age of 
twentywme years. It is clothed in the uniform of which you were so proud, 
that of the Fire Zouaves of Philadelphia. The attitude of the figure is that of 
a soldier clubbing his musket to illustrate the closeness of the .struggle that had 
taken place in this angle on the 8d day of Jul}', 186;i. When the location was 
selected, it became necessary to liring ample proof that the site would be his- 
torically accurate. This has been done, and the Commission were convinced 
beyond a doubt that the Seventy-second were in line during the cannonading 
of the rebels sixty yards to the left and rear of this spot, and when the enemy 
Ibrced the troops from the first line of battle, you marched by the right flank 
until you nearly reached the north wall, faced to the front and engaged the ft>e. 
From that point jou advanced fighting down to this wall having men killed 
and wounded in the advance, but in order to conform to the rules of the Me- 
morial Association, the position of your monument was agreed to be twenty feet 
from the wall. Some unauthorized persons protested, and when 3'our committee 
attempted to dig for a foundation, your chairman was arrested and held to bail 
for trespass. Then your legal battle began. 1 would say here, comrades, that 
you Avere fortunate in the selection of your counsel, forbad your committee 
hunted the country they could not have found more true and able "-entlemen 
than Captain W. W. Kerr, Major W. White Wiltbank of Philadelphia and .J. 
C. Neely of Gettysburg. The two Ibrmer, veterans of the late war, gave their 
time and talents to your case without compensation. Your counsel filed a bill 
in equity asking for an injun(;tion restraining them from interfering with us 
and the supreme court decided in our favor. But our troubles had not ended. 
They said they could prove that the Seventy-second Regiment never fought in 
the angle. We asked that a master be appointed to take testimony, which was 
done, and the learned W. Arch. McLean of Getty.sburg was chosen, and after 
hearing tlie testimony, decided the case according to the evidence and law. 
They were not satisfied but carried the case again to the .supreme court who 
promptly sustained the mast*»r and the lower courts. And here ended the legal 
strife that has lasted so long. 



388 Pennsylvania at GeMyshiirg. 

Comrades, ill your .struggle in tliis angle on July 3d, 1863, the God «)f battles 
was with 3'ou, in your legal contest the Goddessof justice smiled ujwn you. I 
now present this monument to the Survivors' Association of the Seventy -second 
Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers and the good citizens ol" Pennsylvania of 
whom you form a part ; educate your children to guard it with a loving care 
and by the will of God it will stand while the nation lives. 



ADDRESS OF BREVET-MAJOR W. W. WILTBANK 

COMRADES: — The State directed that the three commissioners appointed 
bj- the Governor should co-operate with the committee of three to be 
appointed by you in selecting the site of this monument ; and you were 
fortunate in all the stages of the action after that, because your claim, 
that you and your comrades did your best fighting here, was contested by others, 
and by you made good, before the statue was erected ; and thus we may heed 
no criticism of the truth of this firm and lasting mark of valor and victory. 
Of all the regiments that fought on this wide field, in the battle that saved the 
Union, it so happens that the location of yours has the singular glory of an ap- 
proval of the judiciary as well as of the executive ; and the soldier who now 
fights here in bronze, shall stand forever under the protection of the decree of 
the eminent ofiicers of this county, ratified by the highest court of the Stiit^' ; 
a decree that here you did your greatest work, and that no man or body of men 
may gainsay it history and the law have placed this effigy, and Pennsylvania 
protects it by her writ of perpetual admonition. 

You have thus, to-day, done your duty valiantly to your home, as you and 
your comrades did your duty in the fight, more than a quarter of a century ago, 
to your sovereign, the good republic. How many of you remain with us ? And 
h:is a new generation come here with you ? There were orphans, widows, the 
childless and brotherless made in melancholy hosts by the reaping of this field 
in the elder time. Thousands of men fell down. If their shades may, by tlie 
divine order, hear in symbols the well-known word of command, and obey an 
impulse that shall move their souls through the hapi)iness of their immortality, 
the dead in body are alive in spirit about you now, perhaps in line of steady 
march from the cluster of .short wood yonder, to take up their position ; per- 
haps in battle array, to anticipate the close (tonfiictt that has since told them 
all its secrets, and it may be to live again in the hand-to-hand dispute till the 
brilliant moment of death. Those of you who have the histing faith must now 
rest sure that it is a blessed thing to die for one's country, that the God of 
battles promotes to high places the servants who for him pass through the valley 
of darkness. Our ancestors of the revolution created a nobility that ha.s bred 
millions of sturdy men and women ; and these in turn gave us for our vindi- 
cation, the strength, energy, daring audacity ; the irrepressible and swift exe- 
cution, tliat mad(!, and shall ever show, llie hardy <',haracter of these sleepers 
ere they slept. 

Th«;re are three thoughts that your experience has brought to you no doubt, 
and that we may for a few minutes entertain now. Had you failed in the 
time in which the fate of Pickett's force was decided, so that the bloody angle 
w;is held against you a small part of an hour, say for only a twelfth of an hour, 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 389 

then the day would have been lost. It is tnu' that other reyiinonts, at otiier 
places ill the line, were opened upon, under like attack ; but at this place the 
hardest blows were given, the bloodiest and most vioh^it attempt was made. 
From one hundred and fifteen to one hundred and fifty guns of the enemy con- 
centrated upon you their shot and sIkjU ; and a whole army marched across 
that plain from the westward, firing as it movcul, to throw itself upon you. 
Yonr second thought is of glory ; one of your own luMoes has written of your 
colors, that they were " held aloft till victory was won.'" That grand work was 
done by men whose names shall ever be remembered. \nd after the sense of 
achievement has stirred you, and the excitement of the, grtjat buttle has subsided; 
after the pressure upon us of sonus struggle in our present days of quiet life, all 
of us know the final musing; the illustrious and theimknown alike must go 
to eartli. 

Whilst it is right that you should lyourn the loss that you have had, it is nat- 
ural and good that you should be proud, and in quick humor of content here- 
after, as you see what you have done for your fellows, and what a heritage you 
have secured for the young and the young to .succeed them. As one said of the 
ancient soldiers, our heroes were taken away from their glory, not from their 
fear. So pass the memory of their glory to your children, that the.se may live 
in prosperity, self-respect and peace. 



ORATION OF CAPTAIN WILLIAM W. KERR 

/^^OMKADES: — The volunteer firemen of the city of Philadelphia were 
I patriotic, intelligent and brave. You were fit and worthy representa- 

\ ; tives of that organization. When you offered yourself to the Governor 
of our State, you were young, strong, and inured to hardship and dan- 
ger. No better material could be found in the world from which to form an 
army. You were mustered into the service of the United States on August 10, 
1861, and Colonel D. W. C. Baxter was your first commander. Officially you 
were designated as the Seventy-second Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, but 
familiarly you were called "Baxter's Fire Zouaves.'" You were assigned to 
duty in the Second Corps in the Army of the Potomac, and from March, 1862, 
your fortunes and your fame were identified with that gallant corps. The siege 
of Yorktown was a series of engagements ; the battles at Fair Oaks, on May 31 
and June 1, 1862, were followed by Peach Orchard, Savage Station, Glendale, 
Malvern Hill, Chantilly, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. You 
participated in them all. You gained in them experience, honor, credit and 
renown. You were tried and trusted veterans of the Union army. 

On the 1st day of July, 186:5, you numbered twenty-three officers and four 
hundred and thirty-five men. You formed part of the Second Brigade of the 
Second Division of the Second Corps. That was the famous "Philadelphia 
Brigade," commanded by that equally famous soldier, Brigadier-General Alex- 
ander S. Webb. He was leading you on to Gettysburg, to drive the invading 
enemy from your native State. 

As we stand here to-day, our thoughts carry us back to the 1st, 2d and 3d 
days of July, 1863. For tweuty-eight years summer has succeeded summer, 
yet the scenes and occurrences of those days are as vivid and bright as though 



390 Pennsylvania at Gettyshnrg. 

it wer»' but ycstc-rday. They pa-ss belore you in panoramic view. You recall 
the weary luarcJi from ilie liappahanuock, the crossing of the I'ocomac at Ed- 
wards' Ferry, the kind and hospitable leceptiou at Uniout«wn, the halt at 
Taneytown on July 1, the .sad news of the death of Reynolds and defeat of the 
Fir.st and Eleventh (Jorps. the midnight march to Gettysburg, the forming of 
the line of battle on the morning of July 2, the attack by the enemy in the 
afternoon, the loss of Brown's Batter}-, your counter<'harge to the Emmits- 
burg road, the recovery of Brown's guns, the wounding of Colonel Baxter, the 
reforming of your lines, the little spring in the rear where you filled your can- 
teens and cooked your coffee, your restle.ss .sleep l)ehind your stacked rifles, and 
the bright and glorious breaking of the morning of the day of July ;J. 

Let us pause here, for the scene apj)roaches the reality. Here again you see 
the same low stone fence. It is angle-shaped — .something like a huge letter Z 
traced upon the ground, only the angles are right angles — the bottom line ex- 
tending towards Cemetery Hill on the right, the center line running some two 
hundred and sixty feet to the front, and the front line reaching towards Little 
Round Top on the left. Out in front of these angles are two companies of the 
One liitndred and sixth Pennsylvania, deployed as skirmishers. Behind the 
angles are posted Cu.shing's Battery and your Philadelphia Brigade. Along the 
rear line of the lence are eight companies of the Seven tj'-first Pennsylvania, 
their right connecting with Arnold's liattery and their left resting at the cor- 
ner of the angle; the center line of the fence, from corner to corner ot the angle, 
is tinoccupied; along the front line of the fence are the other two companies of 
the Seventy-tirst, their right close up in the corner; then to their left the fence 
is again unoccupied for the distance of two hundred and seventy-four feet; and 
then comes the right of the Sixty-ninth Pennsylvania. There, to the rear of 
the front fence, forming a line parallel with the rear fence, is Battery A of the 
Foiu-th United States Artillery — the renowned "" Cushing's Battery "^ — with the 
muzzle of its guns pointing over the front fence at the unoccupied space between 
the right of tlie Sixty-ninth and the left of the two comijaiiies of the Seventy- 
first. There, behind the battery, and two hundred and seventy feet behind 
the front fence, is your Seventy-.second iiegiment, in line of battle to support 
the battery. And there, l>etween you and the battery, is General Webb, .slowly 
pacing up and down, keeping careful watx;h over his little brigade. 

This is your position at high noon. The Confederate batteries sudtlenly open 
fire. Every gun is hurling a missle into the ranks. The Union artillery re- 
plies. There you lie with your faces close to the ground. The storm of iron 
hail is flying around yon, but you are helpless and unprotected. The air is 
filled with flying shot and bursting .shells, and the roar drowns all other sounds. 
Tiie cra.sh is blinding, and the shock isdeafening. The cannoneers are falling at 
their ix)sts, and Cushing's Battery is fast l)eing disabled. For an liour and u 
quarter, and the firing (leases, first on the Union side, then on the Conlederate 
side. The first ])art of the great struggle is over. 

Now the Conlederate line of battle appears, nu)ving iai)i(ily over the field. 
They cross the Emmitsburg road, and you see their faces. They are Pickett's 
men, the flower of the Southern army. Again the artillery opens, and cannon 
and musketry are mingled in a deaiening roar. The Confederates never fiilter, 
never waver. On they come, confident of victory. They are led by Armi- 
stead. He is seeking a place to break througii the Union lines. He sees Cush- 
ing's disabled l>attery, the unoccupied lence, and urges his men rapidly to- 
wards it. 



Pennsylvania at Geftyfiburg. 391 

The skirmishers of the One hundred and sixth run to the rear, and are hastily 
formed on your left think. The two companies of the Seventy-first retire from 
the front angle, and join tlieir regiment at the rear. The right of the Sixty- 
ninth .swings back on its center. Cushing's cannoneers are piled among the 
rains of their disabed guns; Sergeant Fuger and half a dozen of the men are 
all that are left; one gun alone remains ; it is loaded with canister, and Gush- 
ing, Fuger and their men are around it ; they move it to the front, closer to 
the fence, and take their places beside it. The fence in the front angle is 
vfholly unoccupied. There is nothing to check the Confederate advance, save 
«nly that lone cannon and the heroic men beside it. 

The Confederates reach the fence. Armistead jum])s over it. Twelve hun- 
dred of his men follow him. They rush upon the gun. A sheet of flame from 
its muzzle, a deafening report, the brave young lieutenant falls lifeless upon 
the ground, and Cushing's Battery is silenced forever. The Confederates have 
captured the angle. The Union arniy is cut in two at its center. The Con- 
federates wave their flags in triumph, and again press forward. 

There you still lie — three hundred and sixty of you — crouching close to the 
ground. You know that your time has now come. You see the enemy advanc- 
ing upon you in overwhelming numbei-s. You know that alone and unsup- 
ported you must meet the attack. Your hearts are filled with bitterness, and 
you are eager for the fray. You look to General Webb for the expected com- 
mand. You see his lips moving, but can hear no sound. lie points his sword 
to the right, then waves it towards the enemy. You are well-trained soldiers, 
and understand his signs. You know that he wants you to march by the right 
face closer to the Seventy-first in the rear angle, then face to the left, and charge 
down upon the enemy. Y'ou spring to your feet. Away go haversacks and 
canteens. You face to the right, run quickly forward to the Seventy-first, and 
face again to the left. Your courage is contagious. Some brave men of the 
Seventy-first and One hundred and sixth, unbidden, .jump into line with you 
on your flanks. There stand the enemy, their baj'onets bristling and their 
rifles smoking; They are waiting for you — for this handful of men against 
such fearful odds. One savage yell that rises above the din of battle, one wild 
and tumultuous rush, and you are upon them, discharging your rifles in their 
faces, beating their bayonets from their guns, and tearing their guns from their 
hands. With the ferocity of madness you leap upon them, clutch them by 
their throats, bury your bayonets in their bodies and hurl them to the earth. 
Mounted on their prostrate botlies, the butts of your guns descend relentlessly, 
crushing them down before you. Slowly they retire, surging back into the 
corner in the angle. Their colors are still flying. They are j'et imconquered. 
A color bearer plants the flag of Virginia at the fence, and his comrades are 
rallying around it; like a tiger McCuen springs upon him, and wrenches the 
(»lors from his grasp. A short struggle, a terrific blow, and McBride is wav- 
ing the second flag. A thrust of the bayonet, a crushing blow on the head, 
and two zouaves are struggling to reach the rear with two other flags. The 
colors of the enemy are captured. The Virginians make a desperate rush for 
their colors. Again you are upon them with the fury of demons. Again your 
guns and your bayonets deal death and destruction in their ranks. They fall 
before you in great piles, wounded and dead. Armistead has fallen at the feet 
of your color bearer. Their leader is gone, their colors are lost. Disheartened 
and dismayed, they drop their arms. Eight hundred of them surrender. Four 



392 Pennsylvania at Gettyshnrq. 

nUind of colors, und eight hundred prisoners. Every Confederate wlio had 
crosised the fence is dead, wounded or captured. Not a man of them has es- 
caped. The ('onfederate army is cut in two. Away to your riglit and to your 
left they fly before your victorious comrades. The battle is over. 

The ground is covered with the wounded, the dying and the dead. From 
the front fence to the center, the bodies of your zouaves lie close and thick. 
Sixty-two of them are dead, one hundred and forty-six are wounded and two 
are missing. Two hundred and ten of your brave comrades have ceased to 
answer at your roll call. One hundred and fifty of you are left. 

To this place, this unknown spot, you have given name and fame. It is re- 
cordetl in history "' The Bloody Angle at Gettysburg." 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

73° REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September 12, 1889 

ADDRESS OF COLONEL WILLIAM MOORE 

C COMMANDER and comrades: — It is a great satisfaction to the monument 
committee of this organization to now bring the labors of the committee 
; to a close, by turning over to you and to the association this monument. 
It gives us pleasure, because while the labors of the committee in getting 
up the monument were arduous, and in securing for it the position which it now 
occupies were still more so. our every effort has resulted in a successful termi- 
nation. 

In history, the heroic action of the Seventy-third Regiment at the battle of 
Gettysburg remains unmentioned. At that time, myself, its colonel, had the 
misfortune to be confined in a hospital, suffering from a wound through the lung 
received in the battle of Chancellorsville. The regiment was without a single 
field oflicer. All had been killed or wounded in previous battles. Consequently 
no official regimental rejwrt of the .services performed by our regiment in this 
battle was ever forwarded to army headquarters, or transmitted to the depart- 
ment in Washington. Ky strenuous exertions we procured testimony and evi- 
dence, among them letters from General Coster, who commanded the brigade 
to which oui- regiment belonged, and from Colonel Wiedrich, who commaiuUd 
the battery, and sworn affidavits from officers and comrades of the Twenty- 
seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, and from merabersof our own regiment, and 
others, and were thereby enabled to convince the State Commissioners of the 
justice of our claim to erect our monument on this spot ; and, in addition, we 
have been pi'rmitted to place upon the face of the monument a bronze bas-re- 
lief, representing the heroic action of the regiment in repul.sing the attack of 
the Ix)uisiana Tigers, and, with the assistance of the cannoneers and other troops, 
recapturing Wic^drich's Battery, thereby greatly assisting in making the battle 
of Gettysburg the glorious victory that drove the rebels from the soil of our be- 
loved State. May future liistorians dojustict? to the Seventy-third Regiment 
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. 

And now, in the name and on behalf of the committee, I have the honor to 
pi(s«;nt. to you, tliis, your monument. 



.Pennsylvania at Getty shurg. 393 

ORATION OF GEORGE T. R. KNORR, OF THE SECOND REGIMENT 
MARYLAND VETERAN VOLUNTEERS. 

THE grand old Common wealth ofPeimsylvauia to-day honors itself in him- 
oring those, alive or dead, who, in 18(!;>, with the aid of the loyal sons 
from other States, nortli, south, east and west, drove from her soil the 
invading hosts. Twenty-six years after the repulse was made, and 
while many of those who participated in it are still numbered among her citi- 
siens, the State erects these monuments to mark the spot ujKjn which each regi- 
ment, composed of her sons, performed its bravest work upon her own soil. 

Standing upon this hill, within a short distance of the spot upon which the 
martyr President delivered his sublimely eloquent address of dedication in 1863, 
and upon which only a few months earlier the heroes who bared their breasts 
as a barricade between our country and its foes, were receiving the shock of 
advancing foemen, we appreciate the fact that we are upon holy ground, though 
none of us, save those who were present at the battle, can coiKreive the magnitude 
of the struggle, the scenes of carnage here enacted and the sacrifices here offered 
up on the altar of liberty and union. 

Our special portion of the ceremonies of the (hiy is the dedication of this 
monument to perpetuate the memory of the service rendered by the Seventy- 
third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, in the great battle fought 
upon this field, Juh' 1, 2 and 3, 1863. 

In erecting a monument on this historic battle-ground, nearly every foot of 
which has been consecrated to liberty and union b}' individual deeds of heroism, 
and rendered sacred by a baptism of blood, it is fitting that some reason be 
given for such erection. 

It is my pleasant duty to-day to give the reasons for the erection of this stone, 
and the allotment of this position for it by the Board of Commissioners. 

In a circular from the Commission, we are informed that a full history of the 
command is not expected to be given to-day, but this regiment not having re- 
ceived any credit for its services here, in reports of the battle on file in the War 
Department, it is necessary to give some outline of its previous history ; the 
reasons for its not receiving credit in the reports referred to, and the evidence 
on which this position for the erection of the monument was granted by the 
Commission. 

The Seventy-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Colonel John 
A. Koltes, was recruited in Philadelphia, entered the service September 19, 
1861, and was immediately attached to the Army of the Potomac, with which 
it served several months. In the spring of 1862, it was ordered to West Vir- 
ginia, but in August of that year was reassigned to the Army of the Potomac, 
and participated in the second battle of Bull Run, August 30, 1862, where its 
colonel was killed, nearly one-half its company officers were killed or wounded 
and the rank and file suffered a corresponding loss. 

At the battle of Chancellorsville, so disastrous to the Union arms, this regi- 
ment, then a part of Buschbeck's celebrated brigade, was the first to make a 
stand against Stonewall Jackson's victorious army that was pursuing Schurz's 
Division, which had become panic-stricken and was retreating. In this en- 
gagement the losses in the regiment were again large, Captain Harrj'^ Giltinan, 
of Company K. being killed, and Colonel William Moore and Major Strong, and 
a number of the company ofiicers being among the wounded. 



394 Pennsyhuinia at Gettysburg. 

The heavy ciisualties in these two engagements left the regiment without a 
tielil olVu-er, anil every company in it depleted iu numbers. The remnant of 
thf regiment, three hundred and thirty-two strong, under command of Captain 
D:iniel F. Kelley, was in Coster's First lirigade, Steinwehr's Second Division, 
Howard's Eleventh Army Corps, and on the morning of July 1, ISKIi, left Em- 
mitsburg, Maryland, for this field, arriving at the junction of the Emmitsburg 
and Taneytown roads sliortly after noon. The First Corps, which preceded 
the Eleventh on the road, on reaching the junction was marched to the left, and 
formed a battle line beyond Seminary Ridge. The Eleventh Corps started 
thiough the town to form on its right, reaching round to the almshouse. liefore 
the entire corps had passed through the town, reverees were met with at the 
front, and a column of rebel troops were seen approaching on the Hanover road 
with the intention of dividing tlie command. Orders were given for the corps 
to retire to this side of the town, and while the batteries of the division, by 
command of General von Steinwehr, opened fire upon the enemy, the Seventy- 
third Regiment was deployed across the Emmitsburg and Baltimore roads, 
facing north, i)rotecting the corps in its retreat through the town to near where 
we stand to-day. Bates' history says of this service : 

As the rear of the tJnioa force was retiring- from the town, closely followed by the 
enemy, the Seventy-third was ordered forward, and charged through the orchard just 
below the cemetery, checking- the pursuit and occupying the houses on either side of 
the Baltimore pike. A brisk tire completely swept all the approaches and checked the 
enemy's advance. The tire from the houses occupied commanded the streets and tops 
of the buildings in the town, and protected the cannoneers of Steinwehr's artillery on 
the heights above. 

Late in the evening, when the regiment had been stationed on Cemetery Hill, 
a general ofiicer rode up and inquired if there was a Pennsylvania regiment on 
the hill. An officer of this regiment responded, ' ' Yes, here is the Seventy-third. ' ' 
Which answer was followed by the order, " Well, get your men in line, make 
a reconnaissance, and ascertain the ])osition of the enemy and how much of the 
town is occupied ! " The order was promptly obeyed, the regiment advancing 
on the town in the Ibllowing manner : Companies A, ¥ and D through the 
gardens and alleys ea-st of Baltimore street ; Companies E and H uj) Baltimore 
street ; Companies B. C and K on the left of Baltimoie street, and through the 
wheatfield ; while Comjianies Ci and I, acting as a reserve, occupied what is 
now called the liattle-Field Hotel. At the firing of a pistol by Captain Kelley, 
the signal agreed upon. th(! men advanced to a point beyond the old tanyard, 
where they were received with a well-directed volley of musketry by the enemy, 
who were posted in houses and the neighboring wheatflelds. Several brave 
fellows here met their death. The object of the reconnaissance being accom- 
plished, according to instructions, the regiment retired to its former position to 
take what restctould be obtained to prepare the men for the work of the morrow. 

On the morning of July 2, the regiment was posted in the old cemetery as a 
support to the batteries <m the hill. There it remained, watchful but inactive, 
until near dusk, when a large force of rebels, with the famous Louisiana Tigers 
in the advance, nuule a daring and impetuous charge ujion the batteries posted 
on the right on East Cemetery Hill. Before charging, the enemy had advanced 
cautiously, undercover ol the houses of the town and the steep declivity of 
Cemetery Hill, and the movement was so sudden that they were already among 
the guns of the first battery (Wiedrich's) and advancing on the second ( Rick- 
etts') when the Seventy-third discovered them, and with the Twenty-seventh 



Pennsylvania at Geftyshnrg. 395 

Pennsylvania IJpiiiment ruslnMl to (lio rescue. I'lic hand-to-hand struggle, 
wluch is so graphically pictured in the beautitul bronze ou the inouument, then 
ot;curred, the regiments mentioned holding their ground and preventing the 
turning of the batteries until reinforcements arrived, when what remained of 
the Louisiana Tigers retreated down the hill, having made the last charge, as a 
distinct command, which liistory recx)rds for that organization of intrepid fighters. 
After the repulse, a new line of battle was formed, in expectation of another 
attack, and several piecies of artillery were placed at the head of Baltimore 
street near the cemetery, .so as to command tlie approach«'s from the town. The 
tSeventy-third was sent in supjiort of these batteries, and stood by them until 
the morning of theod, when tliey were again sent to the old cemetery to support 
the batteries stationed there. 

Bates' history says of the Seventy-third's third day in the battle . 

On the 3d, the regiment remained in the position held during' the previous evening' 
and in the afternoon, while the fearful cannonade was in progress which preceded the 
llnal struggle, it was exposed to the tire of the enemy's guns from a circuit of two or 
three miles. 

The men were lying among the graves, with two hundred guns trained upon 
them, the shot and shell from which shattered the gravestones and scattered 
the fragments around them. When the final charge of Pickett's and Petti- 
grew's troops was made, the Seventy-third was moved to the Taneytown road, 
close to Ziegler's Grove, where they remained until the third day's fighting 
was ended. 

On the morning of the 4tli the regiment was ordered into the town, which 
they entered, deployed as skirmishers along the streets on the west side of the 
town until they reached the Chambersburg road. Here quite ahody of rebels 
held their ground, and only surrendered when cavalry appeared in the rear of 
their position. They were then marched into the town, to the square, and 
placed in charge of the Seventy-third's reserve. The regiment was kept busily 
employed until nine o'clock, when the enemy fell hack, le^iving the field in our 
hands. 

Captain Daniel F. Kelley, commanding the regiment during these four days, 
neglected to make any regimental reports to headquarters, the result being that 
in the official returns the Seventj--third does not appear. 

When the State decided to erect monuments to the regiments which fought 
here, the survivore of the Seventy-third made claim for this positicm for its 
monument, and, after searching inquiry into the matter by tlie State Commis- 
sion appointed by the Governor, and by the Gettysburg Memorial A.sso<nation, 
their claim was declared valid, and liere your monument is erected. 

Among the vast amount of testimony given in support of the Seventy-third's 
right to this position, was that of Colonel Wiedrich, who commanded the bat- 
tery. He said: '' My recollection of the evening of July 2, 1863, is that when 
the Louisiana Tigers charged my battery, and when we were in a hand-to-hand 
fight with them, I saw that my position could not be held, and had ordered 
my battery to limber up and fall back to the Baltimore pike, when the Seventy- 
third and Twenty-seventh Regiments Pennsylvania Volunteers came to my 
rescue and repulsed the rebels." 

The survivors of the Twenty-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment, testifying 
under oath, said: " Not only do we not oppose the location and design of the 
Seventy-third's monument, but we unanimously declare that they are fully 
and justly entitled to the position which tiiey claim." 



396 Pennsylvania of Gettysburg. 

These affidavits are quoted to sliow tlie quality of tlie evidence offered to 
prov*' the Seveuty-third's gallant struggle on this spot. 

Who has not read Tennyson's '" Charge of the Light Brigade," at Balaklava, 
and gloried in the bravery of that noble six liundred immortalized in his verses? 
And yet the unsung and unjwetie solid squares with which Wellington met 
Napoleon's onslaughts at Waterloo were composed of men who showed equal 
heroism, and that strict and unflinching obedience to orders which is the attri- 
bute most prized in a soldier. Volunteers can always be had from an army to 
make a charge, be it ever so rash and dangerous, for there is an eclat attached 
to it, and a feverish spirit of bravado will carry a man through a task he would 
shrink from if time were given for thought; but they who have to stand under 
lire, calmly awaiting the onslaught, knowing not at what moment it may come — 
to stand hour after hour on the alert without action — have the most trying duty 
the soldier is called upon to perform. It was this duty, followed by a brave 
and stubborn resistance when called into action, which the Seventy-third Regi- 
ment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry jierformed on this spot. Eulogize the 
bravery of the charge of the Louisiana Tigers as you may, and have the poet 
carry it down to posterity in glowing rhyme, if you will, the fact remains, and 
must be admitted, that the successful repulse of that charge was accomplished 
by men just as brave, and on whose bravery twenty-four hours' experience in 
the dispiriting duty of waiting had no bad efiect. When the enemy was dis- 
covered, you took a firmer grasp of your muskets, and with the cry, " Let us 
die on our own soil," hurled yourselves on the advancing column with such 
impetuosity as to check the foe and hold him until reinforcements arrived. 

During the entire battle the Seventy-third "played w-ell its part;" but it 
was here, where this granite and bronze will tell of its achievements to posterity, 
it gave that grand exhibition of bravery which forced back the best troops of 
the Confederacy with heavy loss, and aided materially in that demoralization 
of Lee's army which culminated in retreat. 

God forbid that Ave should claim tlu; whole repulse for this one regiment ! 
It was first in the advance, with the Twenty-seventh Pennsylvania by its side, 
but other troops came to its assistance, and New York, Ohio and Indiana have 
their share of the glory. 

Nothing is claimed for the regiment that cannot be fully substantiated. No- 
thing is claimed that has not been already proven before the Commission to 
which has been entrusted the duty of selecting the proper spot upon which to 
erect the monument. 

General Henry J. Hunt. Chief of Artillery of the Army of the Potomac, in 
the absence of reports from this regiment in the War Department, sought to se- 
cure for his arm of tlie .service the whole credit for the repulse of the Louisiana 
Tigers. He writes; 

The cannoneers of the two batteries, so sutumarily ousted, rallied and recoverert 
their g-uns by a vig-orous attack, with pistols by those who had them, by others with 
hand-8i)ikfs, ruiiimers, stones and even fence rails. * * * After an hour's desperate 
tlghtinj^, the enemy were driven back with heavy loss. 

It is admitted that the gunners of the batteries did their best to save their 
cannon, and that having no other weapons, they seized stones iVoni the walls 
and rails from the fences to use against the foe; l)ut history cannot be permitted 
to give to posterity the impression that with these weapons alone eight hun- 
dred of the enemy were laid low in the assault upon this jwsition. The 
Seventy-third Penn.sylvania came to the rescue, and to the Sevcuty-third be- 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 397 

longs the credit, as Colonel Wiedric.li testiiies, of leading in the resisting 
column when he wiis about to endeavor by retreat to save his pieces. 

The Seventy-third's loss in this battle was comparatively small, seven being 
killed and twenty -seven wounded. 

In August, 18615, the regiment was ortlered to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where 
it was incorporated into the Twentieth Army Corps. At the battle of M i.ssionary 
Ridge, November 25, 18(k>, after liard lighting, it was flanked by a superior 
force of the enemy and only seventy-two of its members escaped capture or 
death. 

In December of the same year it was re-enrolled as a veteran organization, at 
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, and as a part of the ftimons White Star Division, 
was in every battle fought and won l)y the Twentieth Corps, marching to the 
sea with General Sherman, and being j)resent at the surrender of General John- 
ston at Raleigh, North Carolina. 

The victory won, the war ended, and j)eace reigned once more within our 
borders. After an honorable record of three years and ten months, on July 14, 
1865, the Seventy-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, then con- 
sisting of eleven officers and one hundred and twenty-eight men, was mustered 
out of the service of the United States, at Alexandria, Virginia. During its 
term of service it had upon its rolls the names of one thousand two hundred 
and sixty patriots; and of this number, its loss in killed, wounded, captured 
or missing was seven hundred and seven. 

Among the members of the regiment who fell into the enemy's hands at 
Missionary Ridge was Benjamin F. O'Donnell, the left guide of the regiment, 
who in that capacity carried a guidon, or small flag. Seeing he could not 
escape capture, he quickly tore the flag from its staff and secreted it under his 
coat. One of the enemy, who had noticed his actions, rushed at him, demand- 
ing " that rag." O'Donnell denied having it, and the rebel struck at him with 
his musket, injuring O'Dcmnell's hand so badly that he is to-day .still cripiiled. 
Tiie surging of the troojis separated him from his assailant, and he was enabled 
to more securely hide the flag. He was taken by his captors to Belle Island, 
then to Pemberton prison, and finally to tlie prison pen at Andersonville. 
"While here he sickened, and thinking himself about to die gave his precious 
charge into the hands of Sergeant Zachariah Rost, another prisoner from the 
Seventy-third. 

Rost was taken from Andersonville to Florence, South Carolina, and ex 
changed at Hilton Head, May 1, 1865, bringing home with him the relic 
O'Donnell did not die. After being exchanged he applied for a pension, the 
flag, in protecting which he was injured, being produced in evidence before 
the pension bureau. O'Donnell kept it in his possession until the 11th of last 
month, when he turned it over to this Regimental As.sociatiou. What remains 
of this guidon, which, with those who carried it, was incarcerated in rebel 
prisons for seventeen months, is before you, while Benjamin F. O'Donnell, who 
preserved it from capture, is present with us to-day, still acting as the left 
guide of the regiment. The flag is in appearance now what the rebel called it 
at Missionary Ridge — a "rag." But how precious a rag, and what memories 
cluster around it to-day ! Comrade O'Donnell carried it on this field in the first 
battle in which it appeared. Then it was new and pleasant to look upon. 
Now, with no trace of comeliness remaining, it is looked up to by these vete- 
rans with veneration and pride, for the scars upon it are evidences (jf battles 



398 Pninsylvania at (rfftyshurg. 

fought, of victx)rie»s won, unci of tin- luirdships of seventecMi nionlhs' imprison- 
ment with its brave defenders. 

The gioiind upon which this monument stands was dedicated by your heroic 
struggle, and by the blood of your fallen comrailes; but the monument, reared 
by a grateful Commonwealth in commemoration of your bravery, and in memory 
of those of your regiment who liere sacrificed their lives on the altar of liberty, 
we now dedicate and convey to the State for the instriiction of coming genera- 
tions. 

Those who were engaged in the sanguinary hand-to-hand struggle on this 
spot, may well thank God that they are permitted to live to see the fruit of 
their labors in our re-united country with its unprecedented growth and pros- 
perity; they maj' thank God that they live to see their heroism and bravery, 
and that of their former comrades, thus publicly and permanently recognized 
by the State under whose auspices they served the Federal Government; and 
the}' may thank God that the generations which have arrived at manhood since 
the war, hold in reverential remembrance, and teach their children to revere, 
those who in the hour of their country's need were ready to give their all, even 
life itself, for right, for liberty, and for the dear <ild flag. 

We now commit this monument into the hands of the Commissioners ap- 
pointed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania t« accept and protect it. 



ACCEPTANCE OF THE MONUMENT, BY CAPTAIN WILLIAM W. 
KEKR, ON 15EHALF OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE COMMON- 
WEALTH OK PENNSYLVANIA 

(^OMKADES: — We have assembled here to-day in the performance of our 
duty, to pay a tribute to patriotism and to mark, with an enduring 
/ mark. Penn.sylvania's pride in her brave and valorous sons. 

The battle of Gettysburg, and the momentous occurrences on this 
battle-lield, have been recorded in the pages of the history of our country. But 
there were instances of heroic Vtravery in this great struggle, that in battles of 
less magnitude would have been heralded to the world ; there were incidents 
of the display of courage and endurance, that if the courage and endurance had 
been wanting, tln! battle would ha\e ended in our defeat and humiliation ; and 
the.se instances and incidents have long remained hidden, unnoticed and un- 
honored. Such is yourca-se. and of such is th(u-haract<:i- of your services in tliat 
great battle. 

Five Commi.ssJoners were ai)poinie(i. by virtue of a law of our State, to co-(»]>- 
erate with live of ^our survivors, ami select and locate a suitable memorial tablet 
or monument, in bronze or granite, to mark the po.sition of your regiment en- 
gaged in the battle of Gettysburg. With j>atience and i>erseverance the Com- 
missioners liave searched the records, sttidied the positions, collected the testi- 
mony andc.\amined the evidence, to enable tiiem to select a location that would 
give you nuTitcd distinction, defy all advcrs<' iiiticism and bear the imjire.ss 
f)f absolute truth and accuracy. 

That the Confederates m;ule a de^perat4! and determined ell'ort to break through 
the Union lines on this hill, that the famous I^uisiana Tigers ctharged up and 
held our batteries, that they were attacked l)y troops from the Union army, that 



Pennsylvania <tt (rcffi/fibHrg. 399 

a desperate hiuul-to-liaiid fiicountci took place, that the enemy were repulsed, 
that the batteries were .saved, and that the Louisiana Tigers were almost an- 
nihilated, ar(^ historical tacts tliat have long been known and loudly eulogized. 
What would have been the result of that charge of the Confederates but for the 
heroic bravery of the Union troops engaged in the encounter no mortal can tell; 
what would havt; been the fate of the Union army but for the courage and en- 
durance of the Union troops who saved our batteries is known to God alone. 
That you were here in that encounter has remained unnoticed and unknown ; 
that you and your comrades of the Twenty-seventh Pennsylvania were the 
Union troops that drove back the Confederates, saved the batteries and dealt 
the death-blow to the most famous regiment of the South, luwl never been pub- 
lished or proclaimed. (Others have long claimed the credit, enjoyed the honor 
and received the commendation. 

From the labors of the Commissioners the dormant truths of years have l>eeo 
evolved, and justice, though tardj', has been awarded to you at last. From 
the abundance of the testimony, it is clearly established that you were the men 
engaged in that memorable hand-to-hand encounter, that you were the men 
who assisted in driving the enemy from our guns, and that you were the men 
who rendered such .signal service to our army in the hour of its distress and 
peril. To you is unhesitatingly conceded the proud right to place this monu- 
ment in the spot in the forefront of the line of battle of our glorious Union 
army. 

You have here erected this monument, and you have dedicated it. On be- 
half of the State of Pennsylvania, the Commis.sioners accept it from you : and 
from now, and forever on, the strong arm of our grand old Commonwealth will 
be thrown around it, to guard it, protect it and preserve it, an everlasting me- 
morial of the heroism and valor of you, her loyal and devoted sons. 



THE ttLI) FLAG ( »K THE SEVENTY-THIRD BY SERGEANT JAMES 

MURRAY 

COMRADES and friends: — Before you is unfurled to-day one of the old 
State flags carried ])y the Seventy-third Regiment Penn.sylvania Vol- 
unteer Infantry, during the war for the Union, and 1 am requested by 
the survivors' a.ssociation to briefly tell you its history. 
Very few of the State flags carried by our Ixjys can now be found outside the 
State museum at the capitol, and to .see one of them floating on this battle-field 
will scarcely fall to your lot again. 

When the Seventy-third left the State in 18(J1 tojoin the Army of the i'otomac. 
the first State flag carried by its color-sergeant was given to us bj' the represen- 
tative of the Commonwealth. At the second battle of Bull Run, where our 
brave commander. Colonel Koltes, gave his life for his country, the flag was .so 
torn and riddled with shot and .shell that it was unfit for further service, and 
was sent to the capitol for safe-keeping. 

The second flag given to us by the great War Governor, Andrew G. Curtin, 
was carried upon this field during the engagement, but at the battle of Mission- 
ary Ridge it was reduced to the same stale as its predecessor by the hard usage 
it received while carried at the head of our column. 



400 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

The one before you was the third and last State flag carried by the regiment, 
and was presented to us at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, on behalf of the ladies 
of rhiladelphia, who bjwle us protect it with our lives and bring it home with 
us in honor and victoiy. We pledged ourselves to do so. 

Here it is ! And now. my friends, after hearing from the orator of this oc- 
casion of the gallant deeds performed Ijy this regiment, I ask you, "Have we 
kept our vow? " Here waves the flag, unsullied 1)}' defeat, havinginvariably led 
us to victory. 

liut hark ! The old flag speaks for itself: 

"You have carried me from Chattanooga to Rocky-face Ridge, to Kesaca, 
New Hope Church, Pine Knob, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek and to 
Atlanta in victory. You have carried me from Atlanta to the sea in victory. 
You have carried me from Savannah, through the Carolinas, and to the ' sur* 
render of Johnston." Victory ! Victory ! ! Victory ! ! ! 

■■ You have brought me back to my old home in Philadelphia ; you have 
kept and protected me ever .since, and to-day you have me with you to com- 
memorate with your former comrades of the Army of the Potomac this glorious 
victory in which you bore such a noble part. You have indeed kept your vow. "' 

God bless you, dear old flag ! While one of the Seventy -third lives you shall 
be cherished and cared for, and as each one of us passes away to the great l>e- 
yond, you shall cover his coffin and be with him to his last resting place. It 
will not be long, dear old comrades, for our ranks are thinning rapidly. Time 
was when you were surrounded by a thousand of as brave soldiers as served 
their country, and whose cheers of victory made the welkin ring. 

To-day we are with you again ; but, oh ! so few, so few. A few years more 
and there will be none to answer roll-call, and our memory will be as a dream 
to these young people who now surround us. In those days, my young friends; 
I trust some of you will give a thought to this day and think kindly of the old 
veteran and his flag. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

74"^" REGIMENT INFANTRY 

July 2, 1888 
ADDRESS BY COLONEL A. VON HARTUNG 

COMRADES: — We are assembed here for the purpo.se of dedicating this 
monument. We all were here before twenty-five years ago. But, 
ahis! I miss many of those who had joined us that time. They have 
been called home and are now members of that great army from which 
no one returns. Others are prevented by sickness, great distance or by busi- 
nes.s from l)eing with us to-day on this our day of honor. 

For what purpose were we here at that time, twenty-five years ago ? We had 
not come in our usual citizens' clothing, but in uniforms, armed with sword.s, 
guns and cannons in order to repel a haughty enemy; we were here to lielp 
with armed hands to save the Union and to ])rotect the starry banner. Twenty-i 
eight years ago that memorable presidential election took place, from which 










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~AV-i^Y 








TON, GtTTYSSUR 



PRINT: THE F. CUTE?. 



Pennsylvania at GeHyshnnj. 401 

Abraham Lincoln came loitli as a victor. The South, tor many years ac- 
customed to rule the Nortli, wanted to be iiulepeiidenl, and now came the 
time of that treason, a more fatal one tlie history of the world never saw. 
Secretary of War Floyd had llie arms reniovcnl I'loni the northern arsenals 
and conveyed to the soutli, where guns, cannons and anumniition purposely 
left unprotected were shifted into the hands of the traitors. The city of Pitts- 
burg made a glorious excejition. There t lie people arose and prevented by force 
the departure of the cannons that had already been put o\\ board. Honor to 
those brave Pittsburgers! The State of South Carolina had left the Union and 
dared insolently to tread under feet the tlag of onr ancestors. The other south- 
ern states soon loUowed and formed that league known under the name of the 
Southern Confederation. When Lincoln took the oath as the President of the 
United States, on the 4th of March, he did not find a dollar in the treasury, 
not a vessel, not a soldier. The officers of the regular army, mostly south- 
erners, had deserted and gone over to the service of tho.se States. A hostile 
army threatened unprotected Washington, and the President applied to the 
Governors oftlie loyal States and asked for soldiers to protect the capital. They 
came with great enthusiasm, those States' militia diflerently uniformed and 
armed. Their intention was good, but, not accustomed to the severe hardships 
of a war, they were soon replaced by seventy-five thousand volunteei-s who were 
enrolled for three months. 

After the first battle of Bull Run it was seen that the enemy had been greatly 
underrated, it became apjtarent that we had not to deal with a little revolt but 
with a great revolution. II was not before then that the whole country, and 
with it Abraham Lincoln perceived the gi-eatness of danger. 

He demanded and received from Congress after a single short session the 
right to levy three hundred thousand men lor three yeai-s, and besides one bil- 
lion of dollars. And then Father Abraham called for three hundred thousand 
men, saying "the Union must and .shall be preserved."' And then the hearts 
trembled and the whole nation was seized with a p(5werful enthusia.sm. His 
call resounded like the .sound of thunder; like the clash of swords and the 
roaring of the waves, and they came, the children of Father Abraham, and so 
we came too. We hastened on to preserve the Union and to protect the starry 
banner. But the task was no easy one. A strong army, well armed, of excel- 
lent discipline and well led, stood against us, and not always the luck of war 
was on our side. The great battle of Chancellor.sville was lost tor us. The 
enemy invades the northern states, plunders Hagerstown and marches toward 
Philadelphia. The road was apparently unobstructed, the Potomac army ap- 
parently annihilated. Ihit in forced marches we came on, and here at Gettys- 
burg, here on this field of honor, we threw ourselves into their way and cjilled 
to them, '■ thus far and no farther."' 

One hundred thousand on our side, Ave fought for three days against an army 
superior in number. It was a gigantic battle. Then at last the (;all resounded, 
Victory! The hostile troops had left during the night. The battle, the great- 
est, the most successful battle of the war. was won. But it was with great 
sacrifices that the victory was bought. In yonder cemetery thousands are 
slumbering the everlasting sleep, mowed down by hostile missiles. In honor 
of those dead these monuments have been put up. BiJt also the survivors' part 
of the honor is due. One falls in the battle, the other dies afterwani of the 
wounds or in consequence of the hardships of war. 
26 



402 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

We who were so lortmiate as to survive that battle and to see its results 
share in the honor as well as those who have gone hence belore us. 

In former centuries it was not customary to erect monuments lor the living. 
It was left to posterity to glorify the deeds of their ancestors. It is only a few 
years ago that his grateful countrymen erected a monument in honor of Her- 
man, the great German chief who, more than 1800 years ago, defeated the 
Homan legions in the Tentoburg forest. But customs and manners are chang- 
ing. Eighteen years ago Germany fought that gigantic war with France, and 
it is long ago since that finest of monuments rises on the Niederwald in lionor 
of the dead as well as of the living. So also this monument. It is apparently 
a dead stone without language. But monuments speak a powerful language 
that warns and admonishes the living. As that monument on the Niederwald 
warns the French to beware of German blows, and reminds the German youth 
to follow the sublime example of their ancestors and to sacrifice life and prop- 
erty in the defense of their country, so this monument speaks too. It tells of 
great heroic deeds and warns all who should ever dare again with an insolent 
hand to destroy our glorious ITnion or to insult the star-spangled Ijanner. It 
admonishes the youth to follow our example and in the days of danger to stake 
life and property in the protection of our country. 



ADDRESS OF CAPTAIN PAUL F. ROHRBACKER 

WE have met to erect and dedicate a monument which shall remind gen- 
erations to come of the deeds of brave men Avho fell in as noble a 
cause as heroes ever contended for. Some may say : "'Why this 
monument? Why perpetuate the memory of the great strife?" 
We might simply au.swer, "Because Ave cannot help it." It is instructive, 
animating, reverential and patriotic, to be reminded of the character and of the 
sacrifices of those heroes who gave their all in their country's services. Even 
if a (luarter of a century has passed over their graves, yet the example which 
they gave us must be preserved to us in order to guide, strengthen and animate 
us and those that will follow us. 

There is no need to-tlay, and here, to recount the causes of the war in which 
those men sacrificed their lives. The war was not carried on for the purpose 
of oppression, of trampling upon a section. It was not a war for the purpose 
of giving grandeur and glory to any one man or set of men. It Avas not a war 
to make one part of this country greater than another part. It Avas a war that 
barbarism might cease, and that liberty and civilization in its i>urest form 
might be established by the American people. It was a war that this Union 
might be moulded into I'cllowship, that out of it miglit be fused all the guilt 
and all the shame Avhich so long stained it. 

The battles of the war Avere Avon l"or the whole country : and the beauty of 
this government shines alike over every foot of American soil. Its benefits, 
like the dews of heavi^n, fall equally u))on every eitizens head liencath the flag 
of our country. The Avounds of the Avar are healing, an<l as you look about you 
to-day, over our vastcountry and all its increased population and its prosperity, 
Ave may truly thank Go<l that .slaA'ery was wii)ed out. the only cause of dissension 
tliat had ever exi.sted. And in this feeling of tlianklulness we are Joined by 
the i)eoi)le of tlie Soutli. We liaxt; nothing Mioic 1 li:it ean divide us as a nation. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburij. 403 

Today we all §|lory in having but one Hag, one country, one nation and one 
<lestiny. There is no sectional feeling that animates us on this occasion, nor 
do we leel any pride of race or color. We are here as American citizens. All 
races have contributed their share for the attainment of the glorious result. 
The Irishman and the Scotchman, the Englishman and the Scandinavian, the 
Anglo-Saxon and the African. .\nd, my friends, we, as Germans, have done 
our share. 

We are assembled liere to-day to dedicate this monument to the valor and 
patriotism of the Seventy-fourth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, exclu- 
sively a German regiment. 

When the news of the tiring on Fort Sumter, April 14, 1861, reached Pitts- 
burg, the excitement among the entire pojiulation became intense, and two 
days afterward, on the 16th of April. Company B, German Turners, left Pitts- 
burg for Harrisburg, commanded by Captain H. Amlung. Seigrist's company 
was K,, also most Germans. These two companies, commanded by Captains H. 
Amlung and G.Seigrist, were incorporated as Companies B and K, Fifth Regiment 
i'ennsylvania Volunteers, three-months' service. These men formed the nucleus 
of the Seventy-fourtli, which was organized a few montlis afterwards. The com- 
mand ot the regiment was given to Colonel A. Schinimelpfennig. a brilliant and 
thoroughly educated Ku.ssian officer, who had seen service in the war against 
IJenmark, and in 1848 and 1849 in the revolution in Baden. Colonel Schimmel- 
pfennig made of the regiment a model organization in drill and discipline, and 
the excellent record made by the regiment is due to the exertion of that model 
soldier and gentleman. You liave heard its history read by Comrade Hissrich. 

To have been a member of the Seventy-fourth Pennsylvania is a prouder dis- 
tinction than any patent of nobility that king or potentate might confer. 

And, as Germans, we are all proud of their record. No part of our population 
has manifested greater readiness to risk their lives for the preservation of our 
beloved country, than the Germans and their descendants. In those days that 
tried men's souls, adopted German citizens gave their best blood for the sal- 
vation of the Union. The great sacrifices of the Germans in the Revolutionary 
war, the bravery of the German is ignored or forgotten. Historj' talks about 
the Hessians, that fought on the side of oppression, but .says little or nothing 
of the Germans that fought with Washington. It is ignored or forgotten what 
the Germans have done for the prosperity of our Commonwealth. Pennsylvania 
Dutch Avere often scoffed at — tlieir wives, mothers, daughters, ^vere often desig- 
nated as being clumsy, ignorant, unrefined, but when the war broke out, history 
tells us that among all the German women of Pennsylvania, there was not one 
Avho l)rought up a traitor. 

It has become fashionable for Anglomaniacs to belittle everything that does 
not come from England, and call England the mother country. Nothing is 
further from the trntli. It was disputed a century ago. It is less true now. 
The whole world is tlu; mother country of this land. We Germans are not 
here .since yesterday. Three-fifths of the population of Pennsylvania are German 
or of German descent. 

When the Avar of the Kebellion broke out, the great fact became evident 
(and the American people are ever open to receive facts), that these so-called 
'■foreigners,'' tliatthe.se Germans, whose hearts were thought to dAvell on the 
Rhine, the Elbe and the Danube, Avere head and heart for this their l)('loved 
land. 



404 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

Tliey came from city and hamlet, from tlie work-shop, the office and the 
school-room; they came from the north, tlie east and the west, and some even 
from the south: they lioneycombed the whole Federal forces, for there was 
scarcely an organization that had not its (iermari representative. Shoulder to 
shoulder Germans fought with their comrades of other nationalities as well 
as with those to the manor born. 

It is due to the Germans that at the breaking out of the war the city of St. 
Louis and the largest part of Mi.ssouri remained faithful to the Union. The 
first victory of the Union troops was gained at Carthage, Missouri, by General 
Sigel and his Germans. It was Blenker's Division, that after the l)attle of 
Bull Knn retained its discipline and at Centreville barred the way to the vic- 
torious Confederates. 

Who does not remember the names of Sigel, Blenker, Gilsa, Steinwelir, 
Stahel, Schimmelpfennig, Mahler, Max Weber, Bohlen, Koltes, Hecker, Oster- 
hans, Salomon, Matthies, Hassendeubel, Captain Dilger and a host of others. 
Thousands less prominent, but not less valiant, bared their bosoms t^o hostile 
bullets. 

Loyally and faithfully they served their country in the winter's cold, and 
during the summer's heat you find them inhaling the poisoned breath of the 
swamp; you meet with them on the lonely picket — everywhere in the field you 
fiud men from all parts of Germany and from all conditions iu life. In camp 
and on the march you might have heard tliem singing German song — .songs 
from the Rhine, the Danube, the Weser and the Main; they sang of .spring 
time and love, old melodies, they .sang songs of their native land, also songs of 
their adopted country— but always cheerful and ready for any service required 
ol them their .songs were often heard in the rebel camp, and their meaning 
was not misunderstood. 

.Vs free men, not as hirelings, did they offer their life for the preservation of 
this land, and thus paid off a long-standing debt. Thus they paid old debts to 
the great patriots who sowed aLso for us the seed of freedom. Were these sol- 
diers less patriotic because they -spoke German and sang German songs? 
Were they as defenders of our glorious flag less valiant, were the blows dealt 
by them less vigorous because they were given by German arms ? Let the deeds 
of the Seventy-fourth Pennsylvania, on the first day's fight at Gettysburg, an- 
swer these <iuestiou.s. Of the fourteen ofiicers and one hundred and twenty 
men wiio advanced on the first day's battle, one oili(;er and six men were killed, 
four officers and forty men wounded and fifty-two mi.ssing, leaving but four 
ofiicers and eighteen men, a total lo.ss of one hundred and twelve. I tell you, my 
friends, twenty-five or fifty years hence the descendants of those men who fell 
or lbu"-ht at Gettysburg will be as proud of thedietls of his ancestor and of his 
.\mericanism, as are to-day the children of these who fought at Bunker Hill, 
or Lexington, and looking back at the history of our time, these Americans will 
wonder that there ever could be any jealousy or Knownothingism, because 
the ance.stor of one landed at Castle Garden or East Boston. We should meas- 
ure the worth of the .American citizen by his honesty, his capacity, his patriot- 
ism and his .synii)athies, independent of whether he or his father entered the 
family of the n!i)ublic yesterday or a few decades before ; our dead heroes have 
furnished us Ihe crit(^rion of the true American, for he cannot be called iin 
American, who. though he eame down from the signers of the Declar.ition of 
IndtlHtidiiK I- it.sc.lf, stirs up ill f'e«ding among his fellow-citizens. i.,ook over 



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WObllOED. OFFfCERS S, MfH 84: . ?; 

CAPTUfitO OF! MlSSliC. MEN 3. ■'.'.} 





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Pennsylvania ai Gettysburg. 405 

the face of the globe and find nu* a jiowerlul nation, and 1 will sliow yon one 
where national feeling is paramount. We, as Gerinau-Aniericaris. laniiliar with 
the history of the past, glory in a united Germany wliicli stands to-day anionj: 
the gaUixy of European nations of the foremost. 

If loyalty and faithfulness to one's country is to be ]>roven by l)loody .sacri- 
fices, then the loyalty of the German to his adopted (iountry cannot be (jnes- 
tioued. We love this land; it is our land and the home of our children and 
children's children. We may differ ]K)Iitic;.l]y. but in the love of our country 
and its in.stitutions, we are one. 

HeiK-efbrth your country is our country, your people our people, your des- 
tiny our destiny, your dag our flag, and your God our God. Whenever in 
the future the country sh;ill call upon her children, we believe and know that 
this dear land .shall not call in %'ain. 

The fallen heroes sleep in this heautitul cemetery; they sleep the sleep that 
knows no waking, but their fame is as fadeless as the lieauty of the rise of the 
sun. They live in our hearts and in our memories. This nation is to-day a 
Union baptized in the best blood of the American people. It is a Uuiou t hat 
has been tried in the tire of steel, and has come forth brilliantly and un- 
scathed. The best way for us to appreciate the devotion of those who died for 
their country in the war of the rebellion is to make it our duty to preserve 
what they sacrificed their lives to save. The value of a thing generally de- 
pends upon what it costs. To show the worth of this it is only necessary to 
imagine the Union broken into disjointed and discordant fragments; the States 
antagonized and inimical to each other. The Union, as saved, is the reverse of 
all this, and stands proudly before the world the synonym of national great- 
ness, power and glory. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

75™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

OCTOBKR 8, 1 888 

ORATION OF FIRST SERGEANT H. NACHTIGALL 

CAOMKADES of the kSeventy -fifth Kegiment Penu.sylvania Volunteers: — I 
extend to you a hearty welcome upon the historic battle-field of Gettys- 
/ burg. We are assembled here upon consecrated ground, consecrated 
by the blood of our brethren, and shed in a great struggle for the pres- 
ervation and maintenance of the high i)rinciples of liberty and humanity. 

More than a quarter of a century has ebbed away into the abyss of eternity 
since one of the most eventful dramas recorded in the annals of hi-storj^ was en- 
acted upon this field; a drama in which you with thousands of sons of this our 
glorious country were destined to assume a role. 

Your ranks have been considerably depleted since those memorable July- 
days of 1863, and of that once magnificent Seventy-fifth Regiment, which, a 
just pride of the German population of Philadelphia, left that city in Septem- 
ber, 1861, but a small remnant has remained. To-day you are less strong and 
vigorous, your limbs are less pliant and active than in those days, when to the 



406 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

sound of the orchestra of war, amidst the thunder of cannon and the deafening 
roar of battle, you quickened your steps in order to take up your assigned posi- 
tion in the line of battle, and the never-melting snow of years has settled upon 
the heads of many of you. 

For seventeen years Carthage with its wealth of heroism, its art and its 
navigation, directed by the genius of Hannibal, struggled again.st the progres- 
sive institutions of Rome; for sixteen years the regal despotism of France, 
directed by the genius of Napoleon, endeavored to crush the liberal institutions 
of England; and for four years the spirit of secession, directed by the genius of 
Robert E. Lee, struggled to deal a death blow at the free institutions of the 
American Republic. Hannibal perished in Lama, Napoleon died at Waterloo 
and Lee found his Appomattox; but, mydear iViends, when in the lapse of time 
the names and memories of these luminaries shall have perished in the whirl- 
pool of revolution and despotism, the vision of the nations of the earth will be 
directed hither to Gettysburg, the bulwark and Mecca of the regenerated 
liberty of the American Republic, and from here the lesson will be taught that 
liberty and humanity are not mere quibbles of the brain or the outgrowth of 
an over-excited fancy, and as we trace the war history of the world and raise 
in admiration our wondering gaze to the human genius, which like a brilliant 
meteor appears in the heavens, but soon vanishes from our sight, institutions 
having for their object the advancement of humanity will live forever, and the 
free institution of free government for which those men fought in whose memory 
this monument has been erected, shall not perish, but they will grow brighter 
and stronger as year after year will roll on. 

The ground upon which we now stand and the scenes by which we are sur- 
rounded within viewing distance, recall to our memories events of world his- 
toric note, and in ol)edience to a longing impulse of our hearts we have gathered 
here to-day to commemorate those events. 

What patriotic heart would not throb with enthusiasm when reviewing the 
state of atfairs in the dark and gloomy days in the history of our country,. v\;heu 
treason hung like the sword of Damocles over the life of this nation, when the 
people of the northern States, in the face of impending da-uger, arose in their 
full majesty, like with one mighty impulse, when, regardless of political party 
affinities, station in life or age, whether republicans or democrats, rich or 
poor, young or old, came forward in response to the exigency of the hour, and 
in vindication of the cause of liljerty, eager to enter into and swell the ranks 
of an army about ])oing organized, without expectation of emolument or official 
honors, facing dangers, exposures and privations calculated to try the patience 
of the most hearty and valiant; and a proud thought it is to know that they 
fought to a successful ending the mightiest war struggle for human liberty 
known in the world's history. These thoughts and the ceremonies of this day 
bring us into the presence of hallowed memories. 

When we unravel the years which time has woven into our life we love to 
pause here and there at events that have more than others engrafted themselves 
upon our memory. Among others we are reminded of that solemn hour when 
the no])le, magnanimous Andrew Curtin, the Governor of this great State of 
Pennsylvania, presented to usthe flagof our country, when we are reminded of 
those patriotic words he then spoke, words by which boys were transformed 
into men, citizens intosoldiei-sand Iieroes in the course of a single hour. Gover- 
nor Curtin entrusted tliat (lag to theSeveuty-tifth Regiment with the contideuce 



Pennst/lvania af Gettysburg. 407 

that you would carry it into the thickest fight, that you would defend it to the 
last, and that in your hands it would never be disgraced. To-day we have 
met here to render an account of our stewardship, and to answer the query: 
Have we justified the confidence imposed upoTi us? The responsibility of that 
trust might well make reckless men hesitate and brave men falter, but the 
Seventy-fifth Regiment accepted that trust, and, oh, what a proud, what a glo- 
rious satisfaction to know that it fully justified that trust, and after four years 
of war. during which time it has been borne aloft by patriotic hands, it was re- 
turned to the place from whence it came, the State capitol at Harrisburg, un- 
sullied and untarnished, aye I covered with glory and fame, and when at times 
amid shot and .shell it may have fallen to the ground, consecrating the same 
with the blood of a dead color bearer (as in the case of Sergeant .Tordan at the 
second Bull Run battle), it soon rose again, only to arouse you to increased 
heroism and valor. The blow struck by the enemies of human liberty against 
the integrity of the Union, and the haughty slaveholders' vow that the free 
mechanic and the laborer of the northern States were destined to succumb to 
his power and influence, received upon this field its sentence and death blow, 
and it may well be said that the true charter of American liberty was here 
written with the sword and sealed with the blood of her .sons. 

To-day, my friends and comrades, you stand, a small remnant of that once 
magnificent and glorious Seventy-fifth Regiment, beneath the shadow of this 
monument visible witnesses of a great historic period. Oh, my friends and 
comrades, were I possessed with the eloquence of a Cicero or Demosthenes my 
tongue would be too feeble to express in befitting terms tho.se feelings wliich 
at these sacred moments fill my heart and which I feel confident also penetrate 
yours, and cause them to beat responsive to the occasion of the present hour, 
but what words could more adequately echo our feelings, and be more in unity 
with the earnestness and .solemnity of this occasion than those words .spoken 
by the great and good Abraham Lincoln upon the occasion of the dedication of 
the National Cemetery yonder on Cemetery Hill, in November, 1863 : 

But in a larg'er sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot hallow this ground ; the brave 
men, living and dead, have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract The 
world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget 
what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here for the unfinished 
work that they have thus far so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be dedicated to 
the great task remaining before us— that from these honored dead we take increased 
devotion to the cause for which they gave the last full measure of their devotion— that 
we, here, highly resolve that the dead shall not have died in vain— that the nation shall, 
under God, have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, bj- the 
people and for the people shall not perish from the earth. 

Those of our brethren who fell upon this field did not live to behold the 
dawn of the golden morn of liberty — they died for us and for their country. 
In grateful remembrance we approach their last re.stiug place. Re.st in peace, 
ye noble patriots 1 History will forever accord to you the fame and glory you so 
richly deserved, but to us, the living, your patriotism and yonv valor shall for- 
ever remind us of the grand legacy you have bequeathed to us. In grateful 
appreciation we decorate your graves every year — we .speak of you as of dear 
beloved members of our own families, and the numerous monuments and 
tablets erected upon this field to your memory will proclaim to coming genera- 
tions that here upon this field the unity of a great nation was cemented l)y 
your blood; that here upon the soil of Pennsylvania a new Keystone was in- 
serted in the magnificent structure of American liberty bv the heroism and 



408 Pennsylvariui at (rettyshurg. 

Kacrifice ol' her sons, and in mute admiraiiou will coming generations cherish 
and revere the memory of that Titan race M'hich here secured the greatest 
triumph to liberty and humanity, a government system of the people, for the 
people, and by the i)e(iple. 

And now, my friends and comrades, we will deliver this monument to the 
Memorial Battle-tield Association, whose charge it will be to preserve it. l/Ct 
a benediction of heaven fall upon the heioes of 186:>, and when tlie last of the 
boys in blue shall have descended from the stage of this life, and the ranks of 
the Grand Army have vanished from our sight, then children and children's 
children will twine wreaths of garlands around this stone and the babe upon 
the mother's lap will be taught to lisp the story of how and why their grand- 
Kires have fought here. 



ACCOUNT OF THE PART TAKEN' BY THE SEVENTY-FIFTH REG- 
IMENT PENN.SYLV.ANIA VOLUNTEERS IN THE BATTLE OF 
GETTYSBURG, JULY i, 2 AND 3, 1863, ^'^ H. NACKTIGALL. 

r\ "^HE Seventy-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers oi' the iSecouiJ Bri- 
I gade. Third Division, Eleventh Corps, having bivouacked at Emmits- 
I burg, Maryland, broke camp early on the morning of July 1, with or- 
ders to march to Gettysburg. Having arrived within live miles of that 
town, further orders were received to advance at double-(iuick. the First Corps, 
Major-General Reynolds, having encountered and engaged the enemy. Tlie 
regiment upcni reaching Gettysburg, marched through the town, and from its 
northern extremity proceeded in a norlheastei'ly direction in the proximity of 
the county almshouse to the west .side of the Carlisle road, where it took up 
its position, its left wing leaning on the right of the Eighty-second Ohio Regi- 
ment. Before the regiment reached that position it lost its colonel, Francis 
Mahler, who had fallen mortally wounded and been taken to the field hospital 
where he died on the morning of July 5. Lieutenant Hauschild. formerly a 
resident of Gettysburg, was also killed, after having received, but a short time 
previous, while manihing with the regiment through the town, from the win- 
dows the salutations of his friends and former fellow citizens. It was about 
half-past one o'clock when the regiment reached tlie aforesaid position, and 
was for several hours severely pressed by the enemy who appeared in outnum- 
bering forces from the north and west, while at the .same time it was subjected 
to the intense cannonading ol' several well-posted Confederate batteries, until, on 
account of the pressure brought to bear upon the comparatively small Eleventh 
Corps by the enemy, the order for retreat was given. Unconscious of the danger 
to be flanked and captured, the Seventy-fifth Regiment reluctantly obeyed, 
and not any too soon, for, in order to obtain a place of safety, garden femnss 
bad to be torn down, .since all the roads and avenues were already in the pos- 
session of tlie enemy. Of the wild di.sorderly retreat the Eleventh Corps has 
maliciously been accused, the Seventy-fifth Regiment at least was not guilty : 
on the contrary, thanks to the collected forethought of Major A. Ledig, who, 
as the senior ollicer, had succeeded Colonel Mahler in the command, the regi- 
ment retreated in good order. After passing througli the town, it was assigned 
itH new po.siti«tn upon the plateau of Cemetery Hill which lorms the northern 






iNfAMTFlv. 




OTO. Ry W. H, TIPTON, GCTTV5BURG. 



IINT : THE F. GUTEKUN8T CO., PMILA. 



Pennsylvania at Getty shurff. 409 

cxtrnnily of tin; ruigc of th<^ same iiaine, wliere it reiiuiined <luring the course 
of the battle. In the eugageincnt of the first day, it siillered a loss of fifty-five 
per cent. No other regiment in the Eleventh thorps met with a similar loss. 
Owing to the gallant conduct of the Seventy-liftli Regiment, the advance of the 
enemy was checked, euabling (ieneral von Steinwehr. whose military eye had 
at once recognized the great advantage of snch a jjosition as (Jemetery Hill, to 
jK)st his batteries and fortify himself. The wisdon. of thismeasure sooii became 
evident, as Cemeter}^ Hill proved the key of the Federal army during the battle, 
5uid had the Eleventh and First .Vrniy Corps done nothing else during the en- 
tire course of the battle than to maintain that position, it would have covered 
itself with undisputable glory. In the night of the .second day of the battle 
the Eleventh Corps was siirjjri.sed y)y an attack of tlu^ Louisiana Tigers on the 
northeastern declivity of the hill, which resulted in a hand-to-hand encounter 
in which the Tigers, who never before had met with defeat, were disastrously 
l»eaten and routed. 

The following were the casualties of the Seventy-fifth Kegimeut at the Gettys- 
burg battle: Killed, three officers and sixteen men ; wounded, five officers 
and eighty-four men : missing or captured, three men : total, one hundred and 
eleven. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

81"^ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September 12, 1889 
ORATION OF CAPTAIN HARRY WILSON 

MR. President, comrades of the Eighty -first Pennsylvania and friends: — 
In almost all human lives, even the most commonplace that have 
reached maturity and responsibility, there occur circumstances, and 
happen events, unforeseen, unexpected it may be, but which have so 
important a bearing and influence upon those lives as to become startling epochs; 
which stand out prominently, marking them with a distinctness that can 
be felt like iron that has been broken and welded together ; like hard tangle 
knots in the otherwise smooth and even thread of life. 

Assembled upon the famous battle-ground made sacred a quarter of a century 
ago by a baptism of blood and .sacrifice of precious life on the altar of liberty, 
and now sanctified by a nation's preservation and a nation's gratitude ; assem- 
bled to dedicate this beautiful tribute — a lasting memorial to the dead heroes 
who fought and fell, and arose not again to behold the flying foe and feel the 
thrill of victory or imrticipate in the after blessings of peace secured and the 
Union perpetuated, it is highly appropriate, my comrades, to speak of some of 
tliose events of the past which wo shared with them and with each other. 

Feeling down along the thread of life twenty-eight years ago, we come to the 
greatest event which up to that time had marked their lives and yours and 
mine. A mighty knot in the life history of the nation. A terriblejumble and 
tangle, and culmination of di.scordaut elements into one fearful, sudden, hor- 
rifying realization — War! "Grim vi.saged war," with hideous and defiant 
front, was on us : and from Fort Sumter the roar of cannon like an electric 



410 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

shock boomed out the story ol' insult to our country's banner and reliellion to 
our country's hiw. How loud ! how portentous ! No after cannonading in all 
the war, not even the four hundred guns of Gettysburg pouring out their con- 
tents at one time seemed half so loud as those of the bombardment of Fort Sum- 
ter and Major Anderson's noble defense. Along the coast northward it roiled, 
bounding from wave to wave, and all the seaports from Maryland to Maine 
hoard it as it passed, and sent it on its way with howls of indignation and curses 
loud and deep. The waves flung it to the mountains ; and whirling around 
the rugged peaks, and sweeping down the valleys, and screaming through the 
chasms, the mountains sent it spinning on — a national cyclone — across the 
plains and prairies, and up along the lakes, till striking the Rockies on its 
westward way, with one wild bound the war cloud leaped the intervening 
space and burst with fearful and furious import upon the Pacific slopes. 

With what result ? Why, down from the mountain and up from the valley, 
in from the field and out from the factory there came 

" The heroes of the north 

Who swelled that grand array. 
And rushed like mountain eagle forth 

From happy homes away." 

It required but the call of the President and the quota was filled. And when 
Mr. Lincoln saw the need of more forces and made a second call, the tide came 
pouring in, singing on their way: 

" We are comingr Father Abraham, six hundred thousand more.'" 

Among them were those who, joining together, were designated the Eighty- 
first Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. What a change I what an e])Och in 
one's life! Enlisted. Law-abiding citizens of peaceful pursuits and quiet 
home lives. Enlisted I What for ? to fight, and if need be to die, in the cause 
of our country. 

Four companies of the regiment came from the counties of Carbon and Lu- 
zerne, among which were some of you. You dropped your tools in the mines 
and laid aside your caps and lamps to imt on the paraphernalia of war. Some 
of you dropped the hoe and rake in the field and left the plow in the furrow, 
and bade adieu to the old homestead to seize a musket and cartridge box, to 
tramp in battle line o'er fields of carnage, and make furrows in the ranks of the 
enemy. From Mauch Chunk, Lehightou, Weatherly, Lausford, Summit Hill 
and a score of towns and villages, you followed your leaders, Captain Stroh. 
Company G; (afterwards lieutenant-colonel). Captain Harkness, Company H 
(afterward major) ; Captain Conner, Company I ; Captain Foster, Companj- K ; 
you met six companies of us from Philadelphia, who in like manner with you 
laid our planes upon the bench, dropped the hammer and trowel, threw down 
our pens, shut up our ledgers and turning our backs on yard-stick and scales, 
from store and mill and shop, aye, some of us mere boys from the .school room, 
and following our leaders, Ca])tain Schuyler, Company C ; Captain Alexander, 
Company A ; Captain Trump, Comi)any B ; Captain Sherlock, Com])any I) ; 
Captain William Wilson, Company E (afterward colonel), and Captain Lee, 
Company F : we met you and organized at Easton, Pennsylvania, under the 
following regimental staff officers : Colonel James ISIiller, a distinguished 
soldier of the Mexican war ; Lieutenant-Colonel Charles F. Johnson, Major 
Eli T. Conner, Burgeon William A. Gardiner, Adjutant H. Boyd McKeen, 
and Chaplain Stacy Wilson, your speaker's honored father. 



PeiDisyivania (d Geffyshnrtj. 411 

Together you formed a regiment of over nine hundred .strong eft'ective men 
•with brave hearts, who were willing to give uj) the social joys of home, the 
comforts of life, the companionship of beloved wives, children, parents, brotliers, 
sisters, friends, and go forth to endure the privation and exposure of a soldier's 
life — the weary march, the pelting storm, the lonely picket watch, tlie smoke 
and roar and flame of battle, and almost certain death in a tliousand horril)le 
forms — it was a turn, an event, an epoch in your lives which left its mark — ■ 
alas how few remain to speak of it. 

In the spring of 1862, the great Second Army Corps was organized, and the 
Eighty-first Pennsylvania Regiment was assigned to General O. O. Howard's 
First Brigade of General Richardson's First Division; and from this time until 
the close of the war at Appomattox Court Hoase, the track of the Eighty -first 
Pennsj'lvania Volunteers was a track of suflering and of blood. If I under- 
stand the significance of this monument and the intention of the State, Gettys- 
burg is selected as a representative battle-field, becau.se of its magnitude and 
importance in the history of the war, and its being located within the limits of 
the State, which is eminently proper; but that memorial monument, that crown 
of the victor's glory, that token of a country's loving gratitude, is erected and 
dedicated in honor of every Eighty-first Regiment Penn.sylvania soldier who 
fought dutifully or fell heroically on any battle-field of the late war — aye, 
whether he sleeps in an unknown grave, or cemetery lot, or yonder national 
burying ground. 

And now, comrades, I would that I had the voice of a trumpet and a sil- 
ver tongue that lor once something like justice might be done to the record of 
a regiment, which for some reason has never received that public recognition 
which it merited. It may have been owing to the fact that our first Colonel 
Miller (killed at Fair Oaks) and his successor Colonel Conner (killed at Mal- 
vern Hill), and Major Harkness, desperately wounded twice and disabled, and 
other successors in the field and staif, were resident and more particular! v 
known in counties outside of Philadelphia, and consequently did not receive 
the notice of the press, as did those regiments which were commanded by men 
of political influence or of large acquaintance in the city. 

Some of you comrades, were with the regiment from 1861 to 1865. How 
eagerly the papers were read with a true soldier's pride. What a thrill of in- 
spiration in the consciousness that it was known at home that we did our duty 
in the part a.ssigned us. But I ask you to-day, under the shadow of this monu- 
ment, do you remember in all that four years, ever seeing anything in the 
papers especially commendatory of our commanding officers and our Iwys? 

Well, behold that monument and rejoice at last, for the old Keystone State 
speaks to-day and her praises are carved in the solid granite. You have waited 
patiently and are rewarded at last. And perhaps it is all the better. You are 
not open to the charge as a regiment of having had your ordinary soldierly 
conduct magnified into deeds of undue importance; your light brushes and 
skirmishes with the enemy into sanguinary battles .so overdrawn that an honest 
participant would scarcely recognize the picture. 

But, comrades, while we did not begrudge the praise that was lavished upon 
other regiments, yet it was somewhat aggravating, that where our loss in killed 
and wounded was far in excess, to be comparatively unnoticed. Colonel H. 
Boyd McKeen, who had advanced from the position of adjutant to the com- 
mand of the regiment, and who fell while gallantly leading a brigade in a 



412 J'c-ansylvanid at Gettyfihurg. 

charge at Cold Harbor — lie was a I'hiladelphian, and had led the legiinent into 
many a battle. But he stood on his merits alone, and with becoming moilesty, 
and the true instincts ot a gentleman, scorned the devious methods of paid coi- 
respondence, or to seek even the notice that was his due, and the same may be 
said of our other various c^>mmanders. It is a remarkable fact, that with six 
companies from the city of Philadelphia, yet the n^giment is scarcely known to 
have had an existence. 

Bear in mind that it was one of the liist regiments of the First Brigade of 
the First Division of the old fighting Second Corps: " that corps which was 
always in the front and maintained its existence unbroken from 1861 to 1865: 
tliat corps which in fair fight with Lee's great army had captured forty -four 
Confederate flags ere first it lost a color of its own, that corps which under the 
command of Sumner, Couch, Hancock, Warren and Humphreys — illustriou.s 
roll- -left nearly tbrty thousand men killed and wounded upon the battle-fields 
of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania I 

''That corps among who.se generals of divisions were numbered Sedgwick. 
Richardson, Howard, French. Barlow, Birney, Mile.s, Mott, Gibbon, Webb and 
Alexander Hays; the corps which crossed tlie Chickahominy to the rescue of 
the beaten left at Fair Oaks — which made the great assault at Marye's Heights, 
Fredericksburg; that corps on which fell the fury of Longstreet's mighty charge 
at Gettysburg; which was the rear guard in that delicate change of position 
and fought its way through the intercepting lines of the enemy at Auburn and 
Bristoe; that corps which stormed the .salient at Spotsylvania, opened the bat- 
tle on the left at Petersburg, swept down on and outflanked the enemy's posi- 
tion at Five Forks, and which at Farmville fought the last infantry battle of 
the war against the Army of Northern Virginia,'' and out of that battle of the 
Eighty-tir.st Pennsylvania Regiment escaped of those who were present — -Colo- 
nel William Wilson, Captain ,Iames B. McKinley, one other officer, thirty-six 
men and the colors. 

We are proud of the record and the connection, and we stand here to-day to 
challenge a comparison of the actual facts with any regiment of our glorious 
State of Peimsylvania, or any other State; not in any jealous or censorious 
spirit which makes compari.sons odious, but simply as a matter of friendly 
rivalry and in the interests of justice to all. liemember, for four years it fol- 
lowed steadily the fortunes of the Army of the Potomac, sharing its perils un- 
complainingly, enduring its hard.ships cheerfully, performing its duties faith- 
fully. Was there a desperate "charge bayonet'' to make ? The Eighty -first 
was generally a.ssigned a place in the advance (tolunm. Was there a forlorn 
hope to be undertaken, involving the probable death of every participator? 
There is .scarcely a comrade here among the .survivors but I have seen him pin 
his name on his knapsack as a memento to wife or children, sweetheart or friend, 
aye more than once. Was any part of the line pressed and needing lielp ? 1 
have seen yon deliberately take the knapsack from your backs, containing tli«^ 
few precious love-tokens from home, to which you had clung througli many a 
weary march, and deliberately fling it away, tliat, unincumbered, you might 
carry youi- extra cartridges, and double-quick it for two miles on astretcli, close 
up the gap and lialting on a run, ojien fire on the enemy to his astonishment 
and defeat. I have seen you march through mud ankle deoji, all day long and 
away into the night under beating rain to reach the enemy. I have seen you 
in liiu' of battle all night long with ordei,^ to buihl no fires that would betray 



Priiv.sylvania af (retfy.sfmr(f. 413 

our position; (lif> only protectiou around you a (!ol(i {>iim blanket, while tlio 
snow and sleet .smote your faces, froze on your beards, and the barrel of your 
inverted musket glistened witli ice in the darkness. 1 have seen you when; it 
was impossible for the coininis.sarv departnuMit to got rations to the front, far- 
ing for three days on three hard-tack, marching, building breast-works, pluck- 
ing at the grass and snatching at. the leav(!s to chew them if perchanc^e tliere 
might be substance to give you strength to go on. I have seen you, lor weeks 
together, the only water you had to drink or make coffee out of, nasty nau- 
seating hot yellow oak-leaf swamp water, which you knew was causing us every 
day to beat the funeral march behind a comrade at the rate of one a day and 
we laid him nwny in his grave perchance half filled with the water that had 
killed him. And yet you were cheerful. In the name of God, comrades, would 
any one of you be willing to go through it all again for the whole surplus in 
the United States Treasury as a hireling — so much for the job? No, comrades, 
but you did it cheerfully and with self-sa(aiticing devotion to the j)atriotic prin- 
ciples which had been sealed with the blood and sulferingsof our revolutionary 
forefathers and handed down as a precious heritage. " The Union forever, one 
and inseparable," " if any man attempt to pull it down (the stars and stripes) 
shoot him on the spot; "' and yon did so and got through successfully, and to- 
day, standing beside this monument, on the very ground once plowed with a 
perfect tempest of shot, atid shell, and grape, and canister, and minie-balls, 
marked with your foot-steps in the struggle, stained with your very blood- ah, 
'tis your joy to-day, as you cast your eyes to the top of yonder flag pole tower- 
ing up ;ibove the cemetery of sleej)ing heroes (-whose spirits may perchance 
thi.s moment mingle with us), and southward, to the proud cities of the rebel- 
lion; and to Richmond, the Confederate capital, and to the grand old dome at 
Washington, and floating over every noble institution of our glorious Union, f 
.sjjy it is our joy to know and sing to-day — 

"Our fiag- is there, our flag is there, we hail it with three loud huz/.uhs. 
Our Hag is there, our flag is there, we greet the sight with glad applause." 

But it has left its mark upon you. We look in each other's faces, many of 
us for the (irst time in a quarter of a century. How marked the change. 
Robust, in your young and vigorous manhood, or in the early prime of life 
then — alas, now prematuiely old. wrinkled, gray and weather-beaten all the 
more by that early disablement; not all the government millions of surplus 
can restore that .strong right arm, replace that sturdy limb, bring back the ner- 
vous energy and vital forces, or displace the aches and pains pertaining to 
malarial and rheumatic disea.ses — and yet, should any of you be in circumstances 
of distress and incapacity to earn a comfortable living, God pity you if you have 
no hospital record uyion which to base your claims. The incompleteness of our 
pension legislation makes it po.ssible, by perjury if you will, to seizure at le:ist 
the monstrous sum of from twt) to eight dollars per month. 

And right here we want to lift up our voice, and on the dignity and in he- 
half of all true soldiers, put down our foot on and detu)unceand protest against 
any legislation, any measures for a soldier's benefit, either now or in the time 
to come, entitled as was a recent bill presented for consideration (comeclo.ser 
comrades, let me whi.sper it le.st yonder dead turn in their graves; lest the God- 
dess on the National Monument hear it and drop that laurel wreath, and the 
crimson of shame burn on her marble cheek) -a "pauper pension bill !" 

But to resume. How little we knew of war in the beginning <jf tho.se lour 
years of struggle. 



414 Pennsylvania at Getfyslmrg. 

How crude our i<leas. Do you remember the fears ol'ttimes expressed with 
deep coiiceru, when, at Camp California, near Alexandria, Virginia, in 1861, 
when the news of an imi)ortaut victory reached us from the Avest or southeast ? 
" There ! do you hear that ? Just what I have been afraid of — the whole thing 
•will be over and we will liave to go home without getting a shot.'" 

Xiany a time doubtless you have smiled as you read with the eye of a veteran, 
backed with the experience of having stood your ground and fired upon the 
enemy at short range until your musket got so hot and foul you couldn't drive 
a bullet down the barrel, read with amusement the effusions and descriptions 
by letter, of that earlier time. All in expectation of something terrible and 
startling — we knew not what — the imagination wrought the most trifling thiugs 
into shapes marvelous. For instance; a letter in my possession of that time 
with due soberness relates: "It is generally believed that a spy was in our 
camp last night, for, at a very late hour, .somebody was distinctly heard to have 
tripped over the captain's tent-rope." 

Our first experience in effective duty (comical, but pleasing to recall at this 
late day), that expedition to Marlboro, to guard the polls at an election. Not 
a rebel soldier perhaps within twenty miles, but Ave had out our picket line all 
the same. In the middle of the night, "bang" went the pickets' portentous 
gun. "Fall in," "fall in.'' Great excitement. 

'■ Drummers I beat the long roll." We climbed up shivering to the right, 
not knowing preciselj' what the long roll meant, but hammered the sheepskin 
with I'rightful vengeance keeping time with our teeth. Kather a cool and frosty 
night, but with surprising (juickness the boys tumbled into line, and present- 
ing a beautiful picture of parade in undress uniform. The longer the enemy 
put oft" coming, the more anxious Ave became to meet him. On examination it 
Avas found that a stray pig had wandered too close to a green picket, who, hear- 
ing the sound (not knoAving but it might be a rebel), levelled his gun, and 
doubtless with heart in his mouth, hair on end and eyes shut, "let her go." 
Further examination and in.spection in the morning developed the fact, by con- 
clusive proof, that the i)icket's firing Avasnot entirely ineffective, though the pig 
escaped. 

So, it would be j)leasant to go on by the hour recalling the education and de- 
velopment, and hoAv it gradually dawned on us Avhat actual war meant, and 
hoAV anything but laughable it Avould become to have atAventy-four-pound shell 
playfully to burst itself in one's Aery arms. Ah ! there were to be many fear- 
ful experiences and Aveary hardships, making hard knots in all your individual 
lives, before you obtained, through discipline and suffering, the hardened, per- 
sistent, unfaltering courage to constitute a thorough veteran. Very fcAv of you. 
ray comrades, but feel the tAvinge of more than one knotty place left on your 
person where the minie ball, canister .shot or piece of shell cut you doAvn, to 
crawl or be dragged away only to return when recovered, and be cut doAvn 
again. .\nd hundreds of others of our comrades, .some in almo.st every battle 
i'ought by the Second (,'ori)s, closed their eyes and sunk doAvn all in a bloody 
heap; the thread of tlieir liA-es abriiptly broken off; their battle ended forever. 

Listen to this record of the Eighty-lir.st Pennsylvania Veteran Keginient. as 
published in Jiates' history, and produce il you can more honorable. 

Of the colonel's stalf and field officers, four killed, five Avounded, two died 
of di.seH,se and one ])risoner, and of those Avouuded, it .should be added, Avounded 
two or three tin)es. as was Colonel Wilson. Major Ilarkness, or as Colonel Mc- 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg, 415 

Keeu, who was wouudcd b:ully in three different battles, to return and be killed 
in another. 

Of the line officers, of which it only takes thirty to supply the ten companies 
of a regiment, fourteen were killed outright, one of them with seven bullets 
through him and many with two and three. And as others were promoted to 
fill the vacancies, forty were wounded, and it was a common thing for bot '(jf- 
ficers and men to come out of a single light with several wounds, and numbf^rs 
of these also died afterwards from the effects of their woimds. 

Of the rank and file, though there were in all some fifteen hundred names 
enrolled, not more than about twelve hundred men actually reached the front 
and got into actual engagement. 

Of these, two hundred and one were killed outright ; five hundred and six- 
teen wounded, many of which afterward proved latal ; one hundred and fifty - 
two were made prisoners of war, many of whom died at Libby or Andersonville 
prisons, and seventy-nine died of disease. Total loss, one thousand and sixteen; 
and here is a little band of survivors, which constitute one-third the number 
perhaps that live to-day of all that ma.ss of men ! 

Where is the record of any regiment that fought more pitched battles, besides 
skirmishes, than this one? And one of the proudest things of which you have 
a right to rejoice, my comrades, is the fact that though in the front from be- 
ginning to end, the Eighty-first Pennsylvania Regiment never lost her colors ! 
On the contrary, they had to be renewed at least once, and we think twice, 
because they had been shot away till but a star or two, clinging to some ragged 
stripes, were all that was left. Where are to be found a more gallant and in- 
trepid band of officers than were our commanders, from Colonel Miller on down 
to Colonel Billy Wilson, who was badly wounded at Malvern Hill, Fredericks- 
burg, Spotsylvania, and narrowly escaped the loss of his life in one of the last 
battles of the war, for we happened to be looking at him just at the moment 
the third button of his coat was snipped off his breast with a minie ball, and 
his face broadened with a grin of approval. 

Heroes ! prodigies of valor I deeds of daring and deliberate sacrifice of life, 
which have never been heralded by writer, nor woven into jjoetic rhythm, nor 
told in .song, nor set to music I Where can be found a grander array or more 
numerous, than we know to be present by the actual history of our dead com- 
rades, the officers, and especially the rank and file, of the Eightj--first Pennsyl- 
vania Regiment? All honor to them. Never was a monument dedicated to 
more worthy or deserving memories, nor served to perpetuate more sublime 
achievement than was wrought by these dead heroes. Delightful it would be 
to all oi us, did time and opportunity permit, to take up the theme and indi- 
vidually recount their deeds. Reverently would we speak of Colonels Miller, 
Conner and McKeen. Of Sherlock, McGee, Vandyke, Young, Lee and Aydelott. 
Of Samuel Peters, just recovered from former wounds, returning a professed 
convert from his former gayeties, through reading-matter furnished in the hos- 
pital, bringing with him a haversack full of tracts and manfully distributing 
them with noble words to his astonished comrades, and with new spirit led 
his company to the enemy's works, and. Avaving his sword, fell, shot through 
the heart. 

Of Abbott, Phillips and Uinder, Patton, Hawk, Hoover, Charlie Wilson and 
a score of others. And perhaps the grandest of them all, our noble color-bearers, 
who knew and looked for nothing else but certain death, a magnificent list of 



416 Pe.nnf<iilvanvi at (rcHyshurq. 

names, worthj* to he inscribed ui)on this monunicrit. Among them McHale, 
Davis, Shiner, Parkhill and Murray. Ah, some, of the deeds wrought by those 
men, and circumstances attending, contain a pathos that would start the tears 
from eyes that did not quail at the cannon's mouth. Captain Hackett, Captain 
(Iraliain, do you remember the lone grave we digged, while we were only 
dniiniiuT boys, down in the little hollow by the woodside. for Color-Bearer 
Kphraiui Davis, after the terrible night-seem- of his suiieriug and deatli ? With 
;iii old shovel and some sharpened (Macker-box lids we made the excavation, 
and wrapping him in his blanket all soaked with his blood, let him down, oh, 
so gently, in his grave. Then laying stones and lumps of earth along the sides, 
we placed pieces of rough boards across .so the falling earth might not strike 
his honored body. And we cried and could not help it as we filled the grave, 
and we cut his name deep in a piece of cracker-box lid with our iiocket-knives, 
and filled the letters with ink to make them plain, and planted that poor tomb- 
stone at his head, the best and only tribute our loving hearts and willing hands 
could offer, the companion of our youth, but little older than ourselves, a mere 
boy himself, shot through and through the body while carrying the colors. 

And there was Color-Sergeant .Tames B. Murray. Where ever was found a 
nobler specimen of patriotic zeal, a more deliberate .sacrifice of life. Wounded 
twice and returned again to challenge death while bearing proudly aloft his 
country's flag. Three days he remained beyond his term of service, which had 
trauspired, and he was entitled to go home to greet the preparation being made 
for his honorable reception. But we were facing the enemy at Reams' Station, 
and he declined to leave his comrades in face of a battle. Excused by the 
cokmel, implored by his comrades, aye, almost by force stripped of his accou- 
trements and flag, and driven to the rear, he goes but a short distance, but can- 
not break away. His face is toward home; an honorable discharge his just 
deserts. His back is to his comrades and the enemy. Life, honor, home are 
before him : battle and possible death behind him. The enemy charges our 
works with fearful force. Ten thou.sand demoniac yells rend the air. See ! 
see I the gallant Murray cannot endure his back turned for this first time 
toward the foe, and, whirling around, he plunges through the .shower of lead 
and seizing a dead man's musket takes his place, and falls beside him, shot 
through the head. 

And there was Captain .John Bonil, served through the war. and now in 
the very last battle, almost surrounded by the enemy, could have surrendered 
and had life; but, shaking hands with Comrades Ward and Gallagher, and one 
other, who agreed together to run the gauntlet from under the very muzzles 
of the enemy's guns, who had overwhelmed our little regiment, and there was 
naught to do but yield or die. " Boys," said he. " good-bye ; they must kill 
me l>efore they tjike me,'' and in ten seconds he was a dead man. 

And we must speak a word in memory of Captain Phil. R. Schuyler, in whose 
honor Post 51 G. A. R. is named. Hi.s shoulder terribly mutilated In* a large 
piece of burst shell, while he is in the very act of assisting his dying friend 
Vandyke. .Vnd now knowing he himself must also die, is carried to the rear. 
What sublime resignation marked his death. Several of his comrades, former 
associates in the old Summerfield Methodist chunih choir in Philadelphia, joined 
with him in song at his recjuest. And, leading with his deep ridi voice, in the 
very approach of death, he .sang alone as of old the bass .solo first part of — 
"Wattihman, tell us of the aitfht, what its sig-ns of promise arc." 



Pennsylrania at Gettysburg. 417 

And Iiis comrades answered in lull harmony — 

" Traveler, o'er yon mountain's height see the glory beaming star." 
And the dying Schuyler, with prophetic vision, saw the star of victory lor the 
Union cause rising in tlie distance, and with the Christian's eye ol" faith saw the 
".Star ol Bethlehem,"' the hope of his salvation, and peacefully committed his 
soul to God. 

And we may not pass by that phenomenon of nature, Reddy McHale. That 
fearless and audacious, freckled-face, pug-nosed country boy from nobody knows 
where. That careless waif who, it is well known by you all, was deprived of 
the flag in time of parade because of his personal appearance, his soiled clothing, 
always burned round the heels of his trousers, his uncombed, uncut, shaggy 
red hair. But the colors were always regarded safe, if, goinu into battle, they 
were in Reddy's hands. Did he not, amid that fearful rain of lead and death, 
and the confusion of repulse, not only bring our own colors off the held of Fred- 
ericksburg but seeing another regiment's colors lying beneath several men, who. 
trying to rescue them, had fallen dead upon that Hag, deliberately stopped and 
pulled the colors out from underneath them and brought oft' both triumphantly? 

And well you know, comrades, right out there, not fifteen yards from where 
we stand, he undertook to charge that stone wall alone and fell shot through 
the heart. And so we might go on by hours, not only in honor of the dead, 
but equally brave deeds were done by the living ; by many of you, my com- 
rades, who survive and are here to-day. Comrade Winter, we haven't forgotten 
when you, with others, volunteered to drag those almost surrendered caissons 
loaded with ammunition, out from the enemy's nose, and under fearful tire, 
and you did it well. 

So we would like to pay a tribute to every comrade here, as to those who fell 
at their post. They fought gloriously, fell nobly, and are not forgotten. Some 
lie in yonder cemetery, some were taken to their homes and are laid in the 
family lot, but many alas lie in deep trenches on other battle-fields. But 
wherever they are, this monument perpetuates their memory. A grateful 
country carries them all close to her warm throbbing heart. 

Of the battle of Gettysburg, .so much has been written, and published, and 
exhibited, in Rothermel's celebrated painting, and in the famous Cyclorama, 
that it is perhaps the most familiar and widely known of any battle that ever 
transpired in the history of the world. This monument is erected positively 
on the very line occupied by the Eighty-first Pennsylvania on the second day 
of the battle. Briefly, the main facts are as follows: Birney's Division of the 
Third Corps, commanded by General Sickles, had been well advanced yonder 
to the south and west toward the Emmitsburg pike and Sherfy's peach 
orchard. About four o'clock in the afternoon, they were furiously attacked by 
the Confederate divLsious of Generals Hood and McLaws. General Lee had de- 
termined to outflank or break through the Union left, and had extended his 
line well around our left toward Round Top. Pender's and Anderson's Con- 
federate divisions were thrown forward in the accumulating assault. Bark.s- 
dale, with the Mississippians, were massed at the peach orchard. General 
Warren, with a portion of the Fifth Corps, had just seized Little Round Top in 
time, and the attack came on. There was not a moment to spare. Position 
well secured and held to-day, determines the battle to-morrow. The contest 
becomes desjierate. The opi>o.sing forces are too powei'ful. Tbe.y swing round 

27 



418 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

the left ol" l)irney"s Division ami come rushing up the valley. Eleven Con- 
I'eilerate Walteiies are poumliugour troops. Barksdale's Mi-ssissippians broke 
through Graham's feeble line. McGilvery's artillery are driven out and the 
enemy pour round in rear of the Union troops. 

Sweitzer's and Tilton's brigades of the Fifth Corps are hurried forward to 
Birney's assistance, but are overwhelmed and thrown back, and for a time all 
appears to be lost. At this moment of suspense a powerful reinforcement is 
appioaching. Who are they ? It is the division which Sumner had organized 
at ("amp California, whicli had been led by Richardson and Hancock, com- 
manded to-day hy Caldwell. The scene of contest is this field, the then wheat- 
field afterwards so famed in history and painting. It is called the " whirlpool 
of the battle of dettysburg." The woods yonder to the .south and west were 
full of the exultant enemy. 

Says Walker in his history : '" Across this space, the fiery Cross led the First 
Brigade, composed of the Eighty-first Pennsylvania, commanded by Lieutenant- 
Colonel Amos Stroh, Sixty-first New York, Fifth New Hami)shire, and One 
hundred and forty-eighth Pennsylvania, but he moved on to his death. Lead- 
ing his well-approved brigade with si)lendid enthusiasm, he fell mortally 
wounded with hundreds of his men. More than one-third of those oft-deci- 
mated regiments are killed and wounded before the brigade is brought to a 
stand, but at last they are checked by the weight of withering fire from the 
stone wall (that very stone wall, yonder, comrades), which then as now, lined 
the further edge of the Avheatfield. And now Brooke's Brigade advanced from 
the rear to our relief and sup^jort, and the position is held and secured with 
the loss of almo.st half our eflective strength, the ground being disputed with 
a stubbornness seldom equalled." 

That is what Walker says of us. We modestly thank him for telling the 
story for us. We are satisfied to take our share of honors if Ave deserve them, 
with the brigade. We don't claim to have fought the whole battle of Gettys- 
burg, or to have been braver or Ibught harder than others. We .simply came 
with a stronger force to the support of those who were being overwhelmed by 
a superior lorce to themselves, took our ground where ordered, stuck there, shot 
as fast as we could, and .simply did our duty, then, as before and afterward. 
The loss shows that every third man who was in the fight was killed or 
wounded. 

Of General Lee's fatal mistake, and Pickett's fearful charge on the third day 
of the battle, all are familiar, and the disastrous results to the enem^'; we all 
recognized the lact that the backbone of the enemy was broken. He proved, 
however, to be a healthy invalid to handle afterward. Indeed, we do not at 
all feel it imi)rnper, even under these circum.stance.s, to express our admiration 
of the magniliccnt courage and devotion displayed by our mistaken brothersof 
the south, in that most persistent, steady, brilliant onward voluntary submis- 
.sion to slaughter, never excelled for fidelity and only equalled by a like charge 
and slaughtei' of the Second Array Corps at Fredericksburg. And it was the 
Second Corps who received them and were avenged. 

There is another epoch to which we cill your attention, which marked ;in- 
other turn in your lives, one more agreeal)le. It was the moiiiing of the 9th 
of April, lH(i."). In the front line of battle following uj) Lee's retreating army, 
was the little r<'miiant of (he Kighty-lirs) Pennsylvania Kcgiment. The .scene 
is A]>pomattox Cuurt Hou.se. The line (;!' battle was formed in the early raoru- 



J''t'nNSf/lfanl(f. at G<iff/shHr(i. 419 

iug arter u niiirch of mostof Uu' night previous. The mists hiy in Ihe valley 
bel'ore us. L'hased away hy the rising .sun, there rose on our view a conuuand- 
ing ridge, a fine position lor an army to make a stand. If .so, tho.se heights are 
to be taken. That means another eharge. Tliat means strong probability of 
♦leath before that sun shall set. With such gloomy i)rospects, and entirely 
unaware of the facl that we had Lee cut off on the other side Irom further re- 
treat, what was our astonishment when General Grant rode right up to our front 
lino with his .staff, and called for our division baud of thirty-six pieces. Like 
men in a dream we heard the command to " march by the flank," and filed 
into the road. What can it mean? Listen ! "'The star spangled banner," 
and we follow the general, every nerve tingling with a new .sensation and 
quivering with the shock of sudden transition. Many a time we had been 
fooled with dreams of home, and had learned to distrust them. But this is 
certainly real. Listen ! "The red, white and blue." We have reached the 
base of the hill. Lee's .soldiers are at the top, and we are marching up. There 
is no cannonading, no leaden hail, no death. Perfect silence reigns among 
the men. They seem to glide like spectres, each man absorbed with powerful 
and dazzling reflections. But the music goes on — ''Hail Columbia — happy 
land." Around the hill top we march. The Aveb is complete. •' Halt I" and 
the .stipulations of Lee's unconditional surrender are read, while our hearts 
l)eat with a rapture wliich must be akin to that of entering the " Golden Gates.'' 
Comrades, can we ever forget the wild joy of that happy hour? 

The war over — battles ended peace secured home at last. And following 
on top of this delicious experience, we reach the city of Washington, capital of 
our glorious Union. The grand review and reception ol' the victorious army of 
the North is the order of the day. Alas, there is only one painful feature con- 
nected with it. Our dead comrades, our dead comrades, who shared our hard- 
tack and canteen, blanket and forage, and fell by our side — they, who deserve 
it most, cannot enjoy it. Oh, that they might be here, what a happy day ! 
The commander-in-chief and the great men of the nation are in the special 
stand erected for them to review the passing victors. 

Pennsylvania avenue is packed and crowded. .Seats are improvised in every 
po.ssible form, at porches, piazzas and windows, until it appears like a solid sea 
of faces on both sides from curbstone to roof top. The air is thick with wav- 
ing banners. It is the spring time, and everybody's hands are filled with 
flowers. The atmo.sphere is impregnated with their fragrance. Fathers, 
mothers, wives, children, friends are here, and have brought roses to shower 
on the honored, the beloved veteran coming home from the war bringing vic- 
tory with him. Was there ever such a proud day ? Bands of music are play- 
ing thrilling national airs as we march. On we go, two little divisions acro,ss 
that avenue in line — all that could be got from every quarter, with our ra<'-- 
ged, bullet-riveti colors still waving above us, stepping time to the music. 
Clapping of hands, shouts of recognition, cheers, plaudits of welcome greet us 
on every side- Hands are reached out to us. and we hear our names, but we do 
not stop. Look ! we are approaching the grand stand, the conquering chieftain 
is there, our noble lieutenant-general. We pass under triumphal arches. See, 
his eye is on us— he knows us and all about us: the signal is given, the drums 
roll the salute, the flag is dropped, he raises his hat and a smile lights his face. 
'•Present arms." And every sword's point is lowered and every musket 
brought to the front of his person with that military motion of .salnte, and we 
march by with the band playing " Hail to the chief." The review is over. 



420 l*eii)isiilrania at (reftysbuvfj. 

But our dead comrades. Is tliere no part for them ? Ah, yes, wo are look- 
ing forward to auotlier epoch, in wlii(!h, jilease God, they'll share. 

It is when the trunu) shall sound and the dead shall arise from tlie dust. 
''Verily they shall have their reward." May it not be .so, may it not be so. 
comrades? See, the old Eighty-drst gathering together again. From Fair 
Oaks and Malvern Hill, Antietam and Gettysburg, Chancellorsville and Fred- 
ericksburg, shaking of!" their dust the warriors gather. From Wilderness and 
Cold Harbor, Spotsylvania and Petersburg, Bristoe and Farmville, they are 
coming together; the souls of our departed comrades and commanders for the 
final grand review and reception to the faithful, in the eternal city. And we 
too, comrades, if we are faithful to the sacred dead, and to ourselves, and to 
each other, and to God, we t-oo, through the all merciful ^jrovision of the lov- 
ing Father may join the grand review, when, shoulder toslioulder, as conquer- 
ing heroes, we may march the chief thoroughfare of tlie New Jerusalem, the 
battle of life ended and the final vi<;tory won. 

And while the bands of Heaven plav^, and choirs of angels sing; with the 
tianner of the cross, the emblem of our hope, above us; treading out the exotic 
sweetness of flowers from the fields of Paradise, may we receive on every side the 
greeting and welcome of the loved ones there awaiting us; and marching upiti 
grand review before the king of kings, the captain of the world's salvation, 
may it be ours to see His smile, and hear His divine plaudit "Well done, 
good and faithful servants, enter in and sit down on my right hand, gathered 
home forever." Amen; so let it be. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

82^ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

June 13, 1888 
ADDRESS OF LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN M. WETHERILL 

FRIENDS and comrades: — The people of Pennsylvania, mindful of the 
services of her soldier sons, have ordered, through their representatives, 
the Legislature and the Governor of the State, the erection of monu- 
ments to commemorate their deeds upon this battle-field, and have con- 
fided to the survivors of tho.se who fought here the duty of selecting the form 
and locating the place upon which they are erected. 

In accordance with this trust, Ave are assembled to-day, to deliver to^ the 
proper authority this complete structuie, erected as a lasting witness and testi- 
fying that it is the place where your most valuable services and sacrifices in 
this battle were rendered to the cause of our country. 

For the purpose of handing down this record to future generations, the same 
organization is assembled here that occu])ied it a quarter of a century ago. 
But how (-hanged ! Then in the full lilooni of active manhood, in martial array, 
with l)anners .streaming, drums beating, with bright arms, erect 1)earing, and 
all the manly pride and Ijravery of the experienced .soldier. 

Now the few survivors advance to this well-remembered .spot with bended 
form, halting from wounds and with tottering stej). Some .still retain .some- 
thing of tlie elasticity of youth, but in the youngest the hair is sprinkled with 




C"*. PHILA. 



Pennsyivania uf Geftysburg. 421 

white, and the eye. iucnstoined to the listlessnessolpeaeo, has lost, iuadvancint^ 
age, the sternness of expression with wlii<;li it formerly undauntedly gazed into 
the fire of opposing musketry. 

Many are missed, laid low hy the storm of subsequent battles, and time, a 
more relentless enemy, has more than decimated the remainder. 

We, the few who are let"t, with grateful acknowledgments to the Almighty, 
who, through these memorable scenes of our lives, lias preserved us to the present, 
rejoice that we are i)ermitted to as.semble upon this historic^ field to consummate 
the purpose which the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has so kindly as- 
signed us. 

It is fitting that, on this occasion, the record of this part of your services to 
your country should be recorded. 1 wish I were better able to perform this 
pleasing duty, for no tongue can be too eloquent, or pen too graceful to describe 
the deeds of the patriotic soldiers, who have made this field historic throughout 
all coming ages. 

There is no need to remind you of the 1st day of July, 186;{. when you were 
encamped on the line of Pipe creek, thirty-seven miles distant from the ground 
on which we now stand. How pleasant and cheerful liad been the day of rest, 
which, after your rapid march from the Potomac, you enjoyed in the woods 
near the banks of that insignificant rivulet. The long summer day had ended 
and night closed upon the scene. Momentarily expecting tattoo you were 
making preparations to enjoy the unwonted luxury of a summer night's .sleep 
under the trees. 

The drummer's call is heard. What is it? It is yet too early for tattoo. 
Soon you learn, as out beats the assembly, letting you know there is no rest 
for that night. The accoutrements put on, the shelter tents unfastened and 
distributed, the orderly's command. " Fall in,' the roll called and all accounted 
for, these are the work of a moment. With brief ceremony, the regiment is 
formed and you are on the march. No one knows where. Your brigade heads 
the column. In the darkness the road is mi.staken, and two miles added to 
the march in regaining the right direction. 

Well was it for you that the day had been one of rest — for hour after hour 
through the night the march continues. Daylight saw you .still steadily ad- 
vancing with ranks well closed up ; and sunrise shows you a pleasing country 
with hills and valle^^s well cultivated, the abode of an energetic, thrifty and 
happy population. 

You learn tliat you are on the Baltimore turnpike, and that j'our objective 
point is Gettysburg, in Peuusylvania, yet many miles distant. The knowledge 
tliat you are marcliing to defend the soil of your State inspires additional aixlor 
and, regardless of fatigue, you pre.ss on in unbroken ranks witli renewed deter- 
mination. 

Hour after hour the march continues, until about three o'clock in the after- 
noon, from the hollow of Kock creek, you discern the cemetery near the road, 
and stretching along the ridge, forever after to be called by that name — the 
I'nion line of battle. 

Brief is the halt. The reinforcement of your corps, eagerly looked for by 
General Meade, has arrived, and the positions of its divisions and brigades 
marked out before their arrival. Some to the right, others to the center ; your 
l)rigade files to the left, and crossing through the fields strikes the Taneytown 
road, and marching along it to the rear of Round Top. Here your arms are 



422 Pennsylvania af Geffi/s/nmj. 

stacked in line and you prepare what food you can. still wearing; all equix)ments. 
Thi.s pleasant business just begun, the assembly call is heard, and again you 
([uickly lorm in line. But lor a short time. The emergency is passed, and 
dismissed again your rough repast is prepared, and night soon coming on, your 
blankets are .spread tor beds upon the grass, among the gigantic boulders, under 
the luxuriant Ibliage of the grove, and grateful sleep, unrealized by any but 
those who have experienced a similar labor, ends the day. 

With the first streak of early dawn, refreshed by welcome rest, again you 
are in position. Now you feel that business is to be done. Rifles are examined 
and cartridges counted. So pressing is the occasion, no time can be spared Ibr 
breakfast. A draught of water from the canteens and a liard tack munched at 
intervals as you march, are your only repast, as soon in route you retrace your 
steps of the afternoon before along the Taneytown road. 

The sun rises bright and clear, and the grass, Avet with dew, sparkles in its 
beams. It is the last sunrise on earth to many brave men, but its cheerful rays 
banish all forebodings as you gaily strike acro.ss tlie fields towards Culp's Hill. 
Soon the cannon opens upon your rear. This is from an unexpected quarter, 
as our own lines are between you and the enemy, but still you advance with 
the steadiness contracted by two years of discipline and the experience in many 
battles. Some one orders the flag unfurled, thinking our own men are firing 
upon you by mistake. The order comes to furl the flag, as it is not advisable 
to make too prominent a mark, and you soou discover the causeof the disturbance 
to be from the enemy, who, occupying an elevated position, is thereby enabled 
to fire over our lines along Cemetery Ridge and into your rear. Still advancing 
under this fire, in time you reach the hollow just below and to the west, easily 
discernible from this position were it not for the foliage of the trees. The bri- 
gade is formed in column of regiments — in line. General Geary, in command 
of this portion of the field, appears and a brief consultation is held. The One 
hundred and twenty-second New York is ordered forward to this spot, supported 
by the Eighty-second Penn.sylvania, with instructions to drive out the enemy 
from our intrencliTuents, which they had occupied the night before. The en- 
gagement opens briskly with the One hundred and twenty-second New York, 
and their firing is rapid and successful, the Confederates being driven ba<'k. 

Then the Kighty-.second Pennsylvania relieves them and occupies the in- 
trenchments, the enemy endeavoring their recapture, but, failing in the attempt, 
and after his failure maintaining a desultory fire for a considerable time, which 
is replied to in a .similar manner by the Eighty-second and the Twenty-third 
Pennsylvania on j'our right, and the Sixty-seventh New York on your left. 

This is without much result on either side, and after a time all firing ceased. 
and .some of the enemy's wounded came and were brought into our lines. 

When the firing on both sides had ceased, you were relieved from this po- 
sition by a portion of General Geary's (command, and you retire to the ravine 
at the foot of the hill on which wc now stand, tliinking thai for the })resent 
your labors are over. 

But the enemj', finding himself unable to withstand the attack in front, opens 
upon your rear with his artillery, firing, as he had previously done, over our 
lines, along Cemetery Ridge. Nothing is gained to him by this procedure, for 
well you have learned that artillery is more noisy than harmful at the distance 
in which it was operated, and not to be compared in its elfect with the more 
<iuiet and deadly musketry. Finding his eflorts useless, tlie artillery fiie n])oii 



FeniiSjiirnniii nt (rf'ft//s/)>ir</. 42.S 

you is finally tiinu'd in another direction. Vonr rest, however, i.s but of short 
duration. General Meade had perceived the niassiufj of the enemy'.s center, 
and the tire of hi.s artillery was now directed upon our batteries, which lined 
our front along Cemetery ridge. Anticipating the movement which culminated 
in Pickett's charge, lie desired to strengthen his center, now known to be the 
intended jwint of attack. Not a moment is to be lost and your brigade is 
ordered to the center in double-quick time. In almost a run you arrive upon 
the ground, and are posted a little to the left of the center, in rear of artillery, 
which replies, gun for gun, with the rapid discharges of their opponents. Soon 
the artillery tire ceases, and Pickett's gallant men advance to the attack. 

Perceiving the point towards which his movement is directed, your brigade 
is moved a short distance to our right, to form a line of battle in the rear of 
the front to furnish a resisting force in case the lines in front should be unable 
to withstand the attack. 

The suspen.se is brief the enemy with all his gallantry l)eing but able to 
reach our tirst line, when, broken in pieces, torn and dispirited, his brave men 
regain, as best they can, their position in their own lines, and the battle of 
Gettysburg is practically decided in favor of the Union army. Many gallant 
Confederates remain on the field, and the long columns of prisoners and their 
exhibited flags add additional evidence to the successful defense of the Union 
position. Thus the lighting is ended, but the 4th of July found you upon the 
same ground, without shelter from the rain which pitilessly beat upon yon 
throughout the day and night. 

Early on the 5th, the day bright and clear, you l)ade farewell to the battle- 
held at Getty.sburg, not again visited by the organization till now -nearly 
twenty-live years after. Marching across a portion of the field of the former 
three-days' contest the column of the Sixth Corps leads the van in pursuit. All 
day long you follow clo.sely upon the heels of the retreating enemy, and as the 
sun is setting, through one of the passes of the mountains is heard the report 
of a cannon, and a shell whistles over the advancing force, and you know that 
he is brought to bay. Your line files to the right of the road, others to the left, 
and. standing in position, you await the development of his movements. They 
are soon learned. In the growing darkness his artillery is limbered up in re- 
treat, and as night steals on you lie down on your arras in cheerful slumbers, 
proud and happy of the result of the battle, which has driven our enemj' from 
the north, taught the lesson that no hostile invader dare with impunity put 
his foot on Pennsylvania soil, freed the capital of the nation, as well as the 
cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore, from the fear of rebel occupation, and by 
the staggering blow which the enemy received opened u]> in your minds the 
pleasing prospect of a speedy return to your homes by the termination of the 
war. 

But many military operations had yet to be pertbrmed before the end is 
reached. 

Time will not permit more than allusion to your many days and nights of 
service in battles and marches. Volumes have been written and will be again, 
picturing the ever-memorable deeds of the armies, ending by the virtual clos- 
ing of the war in the surrender at Appomattox. 

On this monument are inscriljed Yorktown, Fair Oaks, White Oak Swamp, 
Malvern,Antietam.^Villiamsport, Fredericksburg, Franklin's Crossing, Marye's 
Heights, Salem Heights, Gettysburg, Funkstown. Kapi>;ibannock Station, Mine 



424 Pennsylvania at Gtttyshurg. 

Kuii,WiUleines.s, Spotsylvania, JNorth Anna. Tolopotomoy, Cold Harbor, I'ders- 
biirg (1), Fort Stevens, Winchester, Dabney's Mills. Fort Fisher, Petersburg 
Ci), Sailor's Creek and Appomattox Court House — not all the engagements in 
which you participated and leudered valuable service, but only those in which 
the aichives of the War Department certify to your losses in killed and 
wounded. 

Their simi)le recital speaks volumes to you whose memory recalls the stir- 
ring events connected with their names. The enduring granite will hand the 
record down to future generations, who ■will value your services as priceless, 
when thej' know and feel that this war was not alone for tlie maintenance of 
the Union of the States, but for sustaining, besides, the liberties of all the 
people of the country, which, without the existence of the Union, could not 
have been nor cannot be preserved. 

Our military service is ended. Should war occur in the future our country 
requires young and active men for its soldiers. Our part in our day and gen- 
oration h..s been performed. Remembering the martial ardor of our youth, re- 
gret lully we feel 

" O now forever 

Farewell the plumed troop aud the big- wars 

That make ambition virtue. 

Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump 

The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing life. 

The royal banner ; and all quality, 

Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war." 

liuL it is still left to us, from our military experience, to instruct our sous in 
the knowledge w^e have acquired and the principles formed in our martial lil'e, 
that the honorable character and military practices of the soldier may be iami- 
liar to the rising generations, should they have need of their exercise. 

Jiut though the physical strength and capacity of endurance of the .soldier is 
gone from us, the moral vigor of our position, as defenders of the flag, gives our 
sentiments upon every question relating to the welfare of our country, a 
stronger claim for acceptance to all, both young and old. 

It will, ill this view, not be considered presumptuous to remind the people of 
the State and Nation, that the principle tor which you fought was the "Union 
of the States," and to say that though the Union was attacked during the late 
war upon the ju-etext of the preservation of the in.stitution of slavery, that liere- 
after the furtherance of some other object, popular with large portions "of the 
people, may Ije made by designing and aml)itious men the ostensible reason lor 
its attempted overthiow. .\nd let us remind them that the Union, founded on 
popular attachment to its ^jrinciples, will be constantly imperilled, unless a 
sentiment of kindly and fraternal feeling exists among all classes of our citi- 
zens, whatever may be their business pursuits or means of livelihood. 

In furtherance of these views, therefore, let us endeavor by our counsels to 
hasten the day when every shade of bitterness between the North and the South, 
.shall have i)assed away, so that, if not in the present, at least in the next gen- 
eration, if ])Ossil>le, nothing of tlie incidents of the war be remembered without 
regret, except the achievements of the soldiers of both armies. And let us 
teach that their achievements are thf ((Pinnion ht-ritagi' and glory of all the 
people of all sections of the country. 

.\nd let us not forget to say, that the men of the North fought for the Union, 
not for our section alone. ]»ut that its benefits and blessings should belong to 



l*ninst//r(ini'((. at Gefiiisbuni. 425 

and be the lieritage ot' the; whole country, sontli and north, as well for those 
who fought against it: and that tlie surrender at Appomattox established popu- 
lar liberty for the whole country, as well lor them as for us. 

So that future generations though remembering, with i)ride the gallant 
achievements of their southern ancestors on tiiis and other fields, will yet re- 
gard as a blessing their defeat as secttriug to all (by the i)reservation of the 
Union), the inestimable boon of personal and i)olitical liberty, and the right to 
manage their own domestic affairs subject only to the ne(;essary restraints of 
the Federal Coustitution. 

And we, too, the people of the Nortii. will claiiii a part of the glory of tlie 
deeds of our then enemies (not so now). For with our country fully reunited, 
their achievements will be recognized as the work of the American nation, and 
the sons of the North will claim a share ot the glory of the Confederate conduct 
of battle, as Avell as the southern born, tor its gallantry was tlie heroism of the 
people of the United States, and as such it belongs to all. the North as well as 
the South. 

Then shall we in all sincerity feel that "" we are not enemies but friends. 
We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it has not burst 
the bonds of our aifectiou. The mystic chords of memory stretching from every 
battle-field and every patriot's grave to every heart and hearthstone all over 
this broad land, have swelled the chorus of the Union, touched as they have 
been by the better angels of our nature.'" 

And now, resting on the Held to-day, we view, after twenty-tive j-ears of ab- 
sence, the scene of one of the most glorious achieveiuents of your youth. The 
distant hills and mountains present the same appearance as they did a quarter 
of a century since; but how altered the re.st ! In place of the long lines and 
glittering musketry of the infantry, the booming of cannon, whistling of bul- 
lets and the galloping clang of horsemen, we look upon a gladdening scene of 
husbandry. The fields are covered with grain, and the cheerful cry of the 
farmer to his team has supplanted the stern and determined military com- 
mand. The ring of the mower's instrument takes the place of the clang of the 
military sabre. The puff of the locomotive supplants the smoke of the cannon, 
and its whistle, the booming of the discharge. 

Oil the spot in the rear of Round Top (where you rested atuong the boulders 
from your tired march of the night of the 1st ot July) is heard among the trees, 
when summer sttnshine renders cheerful days, the pleasing harmonies of the 
flute and viol, and youths and maidens lightly trip the mazy dance or whirl 
the affectionate waltz. On the ridge fronting your position flourishes the grape, 
and the wine pressed upon the spot cheers the hearts alike of Union and Con- 
federate soldier, as they view the place of their former exploits. 

Pleased, we survey the .scene, for this spectacle, the epitome of our countrj^'s 
prosperity, in agriculture, tnanulactures, and social life, is yotir work. With- 
out your victories on this and other lields the Union, tlie source of this hap- 
piness of all, would be a thing of the past, and desolation have taken the place 
of the cheerfulness we now behold. 

Let then the dancers, as they wind their graceful movements, give one 
thought to the tired men, who, a quarter of a century ago, so soundly slept upon 
and gallantly defended the place of their present festivities, and the traveler, 
who, viewing the battle-tield, pauses in his survey for a goblet of native wine, 
remember the soldier parched and thirsty from the du.st and .smoke of battle, 



426 Pennsjilvania of (reffysI>Hr(/. 

who, no matter whether he Ibujiht on the right or the wrong side, wliether lie 
wore the blue or tlie gray, still sacriticed himself for a patriotic sentiment, and 
in ifgretful memory of the past '" Quaff a cup to the dead already," and, thank- 
ful for tJie present one, to '"the health of the next man that dies." 



ADDRESS OF CAPTAIN G. W. WATERHOUSE 

COMRADES: — For a quarter of aeentury the summer's sun has shone, and 
the winter's snows have fallen upon this historic spot since that event 
in the past which we of the present come to-day to emphasize to the 
future, by the dedication of this historic stone. 

To-day, surrounded by all the blessings of peace, it is my privilege to extend 
to you, my comrades, a heartfelt greeting, on the ground where in deadly fray 
we were gathered .so many years ago; and where so many of our comrades gave 
testimony to their loyalty to the land of their birth and adoption, by baptis- 
ing this soil with their blood. 

What memories ! Memories that time has but made more hallowed, crowd 
UBon us, as we are here a.ssembled. in this work of love I How that toilsome 
march of thirtj'-seven miles, under the hot sun of the 2d of July, comes vividly 
back to us, ending as it did with our arrival on the l)attle-tield at about one 
o'clock in the afternoon. 

How well old uncle John Sedgwick kept his word to the commander of the 
Army of the Potomac, when lie promised him to liave the Sixth Corps on the 
field of Gettysburg at two o'clock, you all know. How well we rememberour 
first assignment to position in the rear of the Third Corps, and our movement 
later on the next da}' to this spot on which we now stand, where we relieved 
the gallant Geary's boys, supporting the Twelfth Corps; and in that fearful 
conflict which made Gulp's Hill historic ground. 

I might go on for some time and try to recall other facts; but our time is 
limited to a space. And now. my comrades, our duties for this occasion are 
done, our mission performed. This will be the ^lecca to which our thoughts 
and our footsteps, as long as life is with us, will ever tend, and may future 
generations, looking upon this stone, learn lessons of loyalty which will lead 
them to strive to emulate the patriotism and devotion of tho.se who had the 
honor to be known as the Eighty-second Kegimentof Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
Shaler's Brigade, Wheaton's Division, Sedgwick's Corps, Army of the Potomac, 



REMARKS OF WILLIAM H. REDHEFFER. SECRETARY OF FIGHTV- 
SECOND PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS 

C"><).\IKAi)ES: — When a proper history of the grand old Army of the Poto- 
mac, of its many severe struggles, marches and hard-fought battles to 
get posses.sion of its great olyective point — Richmond — and the heroic 
deeds of its valorous commanders and soldiers, shall have been written, 
no one name of that galaxy of heroes will stand out brighteror more ])romiiieut 
than that of George (iordoii Meade. 

That giaiid old aiiMV that was .so oltcMi out-<;eiU'ralcd, and whose (oniMianders 



Pennsylvania at Gettysbvrg. 427 

were so often out-inano-nvred. hut w liosc soldiers wcrt; never whijuxd. Vou 
all remember the Penirisnlar Campaign under that (thenj idol of the army, 
McClellan. -with our marches and eounter-marehes, fatigues, hardships and 
battles, and our many reverses, and yet the old army was never defeated, dis- 
fomlited or discouraged. These to be succeeded by the Maryland Campaign, 
under the old commander, McClellan, with Antietani and tlie various other 
victorious battles — to be succeeded in turn by lUirnside and the reverses at 
Fredericksburg, and the '" Mud March,"' with the toils, hardships and privations 
incident to those campaigns: and then "" Fighting Joe" Hooker, with Chan- 
cellorsville. Marye's Heights and Salem Church ; to be Ibllowed bj' the second 
invasion of Maryland and the i)enetration of the loyal soil of our own State of 
Pennsylvania. You, comrades of tiie old " Shaler's Brigade,'" remember how. 
in the latter i)art of June, 186.3. while on the march, we were informed of the 
displacement of Hooker and the suV)stitution of that grandest of all our com- 
manders. General Meade, to the command of our grand old army. Vou remem- 
ber, too, the grumblings and feelings of disappointment and distrust amongst 
the rank and file at the placing ot", as we then thought, a new man at the head 
of the arm}', and one who was then comparatively imknown beyond the limits 
of liis own (Fifth) corps. 

The first day's fight at Gettysburg, the fall of that gallant .soldier, Reynolds, 
and the sending for our division commander. Newton, to go to the front, to take 
Reynolds' place, in command of his corps, are still fresh in your minds. You 
remember, also, the night march of the first day of the fight, to reach the field 
of battle in time to take part therein. Wherever the nation most needed a 
,sol(lier, there some of the grand old Sixth Corps were sent. 

After our victory lieie at Gettysburg, then the charge at Funkstown, and the 
driving of the rebels from our .soil, and the ending of the Pennsylvania cam- 
])aigu. None of us who took part in that battle knew of the anxious days in 
Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore and New York, nor of the many sleepless 
nights passed by the people of those cities during that time ; and not until it 
was known bj' them that the grand old invincible Army of the Potomac was 
confronting Lee and his hosts was confidence restored. 

This victory at Gettysburg was the first step in the disruption and downfall 
of the so-called Southern Confederacy. After that the old foe of our army fought 
on the defensive No more ofi'ensive campaigns ; no more invasions of Penn- 
•sylvania or Maryland were attempted by them. To have lost at Gettysburg 
meant the imperilling and possible capture of Washington, Philadelphia. Bal- 
timore and perhaps New York city, and the recognition of the Southern Con- 
federacy by foreign powers. These catastrophes would have prolonged the war 
for years and left the end in doubt. Of course, this is mere conjecture or .spec- 
ulation, but it is the sort of thing indulged in in everyday life, and is pardon- 
aV)le here. 

General Meade was, to my mind, the greatest soldier and general that ever 
commanded our old Army of the Potomac. He was a soldier by instinct and 
education; one of .sound judgment and good hard common .sense. You must 
remember that the battle of Gettysburg, the best fought and most decisive in 
results of the war, was fought within less than one week after he had assumed 
command of the army. We were on the march for somewhere, wherever Lee's 
army might be. But where were they'? That was the question. Like the 
true soldier that he was, Meade took command, and within less than one week 



428 Pennsylvani(( nf Gcffyshurr/ 

theieaftev, fought the liardest battle ol' the war, with tlie most glorious results, 
(ieneral ■Meade was uo hurrah soldier ; he was a soldier in the strouijest accep- 
tation of the term ; aud 1 do not wish to detract from the merits of any of the 
other heroes of the war when I repeat that to my mind — a soldier in the ranks — 
he was the greatest strategist, tighter and soldier that ever commanded our 
array. There have been other claimants for the honor of having selected the 
position for the battle of Gettysburg, and some have boldly asserted that Meade 
liad nothing to do with it, while others, in their claim, would almost make one 
think that Meade wasn't in the fight at all. 

When Meade took command, our army was acting on the defensive. We 
were after our old foe, Lee ; but where he was at that time, no one kne\^ . 
Therefore. Meade was obliged to move cautiously and feel his way gradually. 
But, when Bufbrd discovered the enemy's whereabouts, and the gallant Rey- 
nolds, soldier-like, obeyed the soldier instinct and marched his column toward 
the .sound of the guns, and fell, covered with glory, then Meade knew where 
Lee was, and immediately ordered his entire army to the .scene of conflict. 
Gettysburg. His instructions to Hancock, of July 1, were, " That you pro- 
ceed to the front, and by virtue of this order, in case of Reynolds' death 
(as reix)rted) you assume command of the corps there assembled;" and he 
further said, " In case the ground and position are better for alight than the 
one heretofore selected (Pipe creek), you will advi.se me and I will order all 
the troops up." Hancock reported, and Meade ordered all the troops up at once 
and arrived on the field in person .shortly after midnight. Now, if General 
Meade did not select the site for that battle, who did? Surely, no one will 
argue but that as general commanding, he could, after the first day's light, have 
withdrawn the army to Pipe creek or elsewhere, if he so chose, and fought his 
battle. Meade's instructions to Hancock cannot be mistaken or misunderstood, 
read them as we will. He said, " If you think the ground aud p().sition (at 
Gettysburg) a better one on which to fight a battle * - * .so advise me, and 
I will order all the troops up." If he had not have intended to give battle to 
the enemy, wherever he found him, with advantages alwaj's in our favor, 
wouldn't he have ordered a retreat, even after Hancock's report, and fought on 
ground of his own selection ? Most a.ssuredly. 

Meade intended to fight, not retreat ; and he fought with results well know n 
to us all. And the future liistorian, in reviewing the many battles of the re- 
bellion, and the soldiers that participated therein, will, I feel satisfied, accord 
to General Meade the full merit and jiraLse that he earned, and to which he is 
so justly entitled. 

I liave always believed that Divine Providence had much to do with the se- 
lection of General Meade as our commander at that battle. We could have 
afforded and did suffer reverses in many of our other battles without serious 
effect, l)ut supposing we had been defeated there, tlien what? 

I have no words of condemnation or censure, nor do I say it in a spirit of fault- 
finding, but I think a mistake was made in not naming General Meade lor tlie 
lieutenant-generalcy. I don't say this out of any disrespect, or to detract from 
the laurels of the soldier that was named for that position — for I consider hin» 
one of the ablest of our generals. That Meade was a great and safe soldier, 
Ihoroughly efficient and competent in every respect, was attested to by General 
Grant himself, in retaining him as commander of the .\nnyofthe Potomac, 
He ably aided and seconded Grunt in his })lans and campaigns, wiiich culmi- 




PHOTO Bt W. M, TIPTON, GtTTrSB 



PRINT : THt F. GUTbKUN&T CO. PHILA. 



Pennsylvania at (rettysburg. 429 

iiated in tlie deleat of Lee's army, and tlie overthrow of the rebellion ; and if 
lie had not have been a true soldier. Grant would not have tolerated him for a 
moment. And the strongest argument that I can make in support of my as- 
•sertiou of the .slight put upon Meade, is this action of (irant's in retaining him 
ill command of our army as he did. 

After a while, those who follow after us will write a correct history of our 
deeds, withoutfear, tavor or aflfection, and without passion or prejudice. Then 
I am satisfied that full justice will be done the name of General Meade, and 
his name will stand out boldlj' in the front rank with the other heroes of the 
Union armies that took pait in the war of the rebellion. 

The gatherings of old soldiers on old battle-fields should be encouraged, not 
only by the soldiers who took part in them, but by the people at large, as they 
serve to keep alive the old fraternal feelings between old comrades-at-arms, and 
stimulate the rising generation to emulate the examjile of their sires, and fos- 
ters and kindles in the breast of the young a proper spirit of patriotism and 
love of country ; so that in the future, .should our country's life ever again ))e 
imperiled, they will spring to her defense with the same spirit and as gallantly 
as did their fathers before them. 

Comrades, some of us who meet here upon this occasion, may, perhaps, never 
attend such another gathering. We are getting old and others must take our 
places. Let our actions be such that we would have our children emulate them. 
Let us do no act or say one word the recital of which would Avound the feelings 
of others or cause pain to ourselves. I^et our every-day lives be li ling exami)lc.- 
of i)robity, honor and rectitude, for our children and our children's children. 

Comrades, I am done. That God, in his infinite wisdom, may guide us all 
in the future as he has in the past, is my earnest prayer. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

83^ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September ii, 18S9 

ADDRESS OF COLONEL D. C. McCOV 

/^~^OMRADEB: — When some years ago the proposition was first made in our 
I association to erect, on this historic field, a memorial in honor of those 

\ / who here fought and fell, it was well understood that there would ))e 
difficulties to meet and obstacles to overcome. When a committee was 
appointed to carry out the project, it was known that the duties and labors of 
the committee would be various and arduous, requiring a considerable sacri ■ 
tice of time; but it was manifestly jjioper that the idea should be carried out, 
and that the monument so erected should have inscribed upon it the names ot 
those who here gave their lives in defense of our government against the as- 
saults of armed treason. It was also fitting that such a memorial shaft should 
be surmounted by a statue of our leader, the gifted, genial, gallant Vincent, 
who here, with the others named, gave his young life, with all its future bright 
prospects, a sacrifice upon the altar of his country. 

Alter years of effort on your part, and after considerable progress had been 
made, the State of Pennsylvania came to your aid, and uiiide the success of the 



430 PennsyJi'o.ui(i at (ictiiislmrg. 

undertakinj; not onlj- possible but readily practicable, and to-day we behold in 
this beautil'ul monument the end of your labors and the consummation of our 
desires. 

(Jentlemen. you have done your woik, and you lia\ e done it well, and I here, 
and now, as tlie president and repre.sentative ol" the Association of the Eij^hty- 
third Regiment of J'ennsyhania Volunteers accept at your hands this monu- 
ment, and in doing so I know that 1 voice the sentiment of every member of 
the association, when I tender you, as I now do, our most sincere and heartfelt 
thanks for your assiduous and successful labors in this behalf. 

And, while we realize that the heroes whom this monument commemorates, 
sacrificed their lives on the soil ot Pennsylvania in repelling from her borders 
an invading foe, with trea.son to her institutions and six)il of her property in- 
scribed upon its banners, and that some tribute to their memor^^ on the part of 
the Commonwealth seems to be not only proper but also demanded, yet, after 
all this, for the timely and generous donation made by it, the State of Penn- 
sylvania deserves,and is hereby tendered, the warmest thanks of the association. 

We, therefore, now dedicate this monument and the statue with which it is 
adorned, to the purpose for which they were erected, asset forth in the several 
inscriptions thereon. We further, now turn it over to the cu.stody and care of 
the monumental a.s.sociation here having jurisdiction, and have only to add 
that we are proud of the work which we present, and proud of what it com- 
memorates. We present it with the hope and expectation that it will remain 
as long as the institutions in defense of which the men named upon it died, 
are respected and revered; and as long as those institutions shall endure, as 
the evidence " that the.se dead have not died in vain." 



ADDRESS OF O. W. NORTON 

WHAT man is there of all this as.sembly whose thought does not go back 
to-day in tender remembrance of one or more of those four hundred 
and thirty brave hearts who gave up their lives on some one of these 
thirty-one battle-tields, from Yorktown to Ap]x)mattox. or in some 
hospital, where, alter the battle, he was carried, sutVering from wounds that 
made him envy the fate of comrades to whom the instant summons came with 
the sharp crack of the rebel rifle or the .shriek of the bursting shell? 

Is there one who has not .some morning shared his colfee and hard tack with 
a dear friend; gone on the cold and muddy march, oi- along the dusty weary 
wa}^ with him. laughing, chatting, singing the old marching songs to lighten 
the .step, and at night, after the battle, lain down alone in the bivouac, the 
voice of that comrade hushed forever, bis body only waiting to bo laid with 
other fallen heroes in that long trench? 

Is there one who has not been appealed toby the wife, the mother or the 
sister of the dear one. for .something more definite than the brief official report. 
•' Killed at Gaines' Mill ;" Killed at Malvern Hill :"" Killed at Ciettysburg?" 

Is there one whose heart has not bled with sympathy for the friends of his 
comrade, strangers to him perhaps, as, seated under his shelter-tent with a 
cracker-box for a table, he tried to write .something that would comfort the 
sad hearts, telling how bright and cheerful their dear one had been that last 
day : how gloriously be fought until struck down : how often he had spoken 



Pennsylvania at Gclh/shfirg. 431 

orthe loved oues at home, and asked in tlic j)lna.se that put deatli I'ar away, 
that they might be written to if " anytliing liappened to liim f " 

Have the years that have passed since, })rouglit to us any stronger I'liondships 
than those iormed by us who " drank from the same canteen ? "" Those were 
glorious days, when, the l)lo()d of youth coursing through our veins, we conse- 
crated ourselves to the stars and stripes, and devoted our lives to the preser- 
vation of the government of the people, by the people and for the i)eople. We 
were all willing to die if need be. vSome were taken and others left. 

It is meet that wc come to this holy ground, consecrated to freedom by the 
life-blood of a host of fallen comrades, and bring our wives, our sons and 
daughters, that with us they may feel the spirit of tJiis place, may know what 
here their fathers did, and what their mothers, whose hearts were on this licld, 
sufiered, and while we renew our vow of undying allegiance to the governuKMit 
saved by blood, make their vow to preserve it when wc liave gone to Join our 
comrades. 

What shall we say to-day of those who fell in the struggh^ ? A year would 
not be long enough to mention by name the more than Ibrty men of each com- 
pany, and recount the glorious deeds of each. Military rank was an accident 
or incident of the service. It has perished. Privates, corporals, captains, 
colonels, are melted into an army of heroes. Each did his duty in his place, 
and has gone to his reward. AVe, pri\ates and officers, meet to-day with rank 
abolished, and as citizens and heirs of the rich inheritance they left us, honor 
their memory. 

Each of us has in his heart the memory of some comrade who fell, dear to 
him, but pei'haps unknown to most of the tweutj'-two hundred and .seventy 
men, who, from first to last make up the Eighty-third. Not four ^'ears of ser- 
vice could suflice to make all the men of the regiment personally known to each 
other, but that service did sulfice to inspire in tlie heart of every member a 
feeling of security and invincibility in the line of battle, when, standing to 
defend, or advancing to attack, he knew that the men on his right and left wore 
on their caps those silver letters "88 P. V.," and that touching ell)ows with 
the last one on the flank was that otheroiicof ■ IJuttertieUrs twins."" tlie Forty- 
fourth New York. 

Some few of the hundreds who fell, by reason of official position, came into 
personal relation witli all. Is there one here to-day of the thousand stalwart 
bayonets who followed the gallant McLane across the Long Bridge on the first 
entrance of the Eighty-third into Virginia, who can ever forget him, or cease 
to mourn his lintimely fate".'' His noble presence ah)ne was an inspiration. 
His faithful drilling of the regiment during the weary months at Hall's Hill 
had much to do with its later efficiency. When passing along that restle.ss line 
at Gaines' Mill, he replied to the men who ^vere tired of watching for the enemy 
that would not come, " Boy.s, you will see enough of them before night : "" his 
words seemed a prophecy of his own fate. 

Who can forget the gentle Naghel, who died l)esi(le McLane. l)cfoie hi- liad 
time to more than begin making a name as major ol" tlie Eighty-thinl. 

To those who saw Lieutenant Plympton White at Craines" Alill, when the 
regiment was almost surrounded and summoned to surrender, and heard his 
scornful " Hell, the Eighty-third Pennsylvania never surrenders. "" worthy of 
Victor Hugo's Cambronne at Waterloo, his sad dcatli in tlie j)iison li(is])it.il at 
Charleston will be a teixler m<nioi \ . 



432 Pcinisf/lraiiia at Geltiidmrg. 

In raising lioro, oui nionument of granite, to transmit to those who Ibliow us 
the story of the deeds ol'the Eighty -third, we crown it with a tribute in endur- 
ing bronze to the one man who above all others seems to personify the sjiirit of 
the regiment, of the l)rigade, of the armj', of the peojile, that poured out its 
treasure and its blood that this might be forever a free nation. Tlie Commis- 
sioners of the State very properly refused to permit an 3' personal allusions or 
inscriptions to be placed on the Pennsylvania monuments. They stand to com- 
memorate the common deeds of the soldiers of the Commonwealth. In their 
description, this statue stands as " The figure of a Union officer." When the 
survivors of the Eighty-third, or of any regiment of the old Third Brigade at 
Gettysl)urg, think of a Union officer, whose figure shall be symbolic, the name 
of Vincent springs to the front. AVe honor ourselves in honoring him. He was 
our ideal. Without previous military training, he seemed a born soldier. 
Turning aside from the ranks of civil life, in a few months he was the more 
than competent commander of a brigade. Strict in discipline, yet loving his 
men and jealously guarding their rights, he inspired in them confidence, love 
and trust. To him the etiquette of the serVice was a means, not an end. He 
knew how to ride over it when occasion required. When at Chancellorsville, 
tlie brigade was sent to the extreme right and })laced in position to protect the 
flank, with what magnificent insubordination bedashed up to the brigade com- 
mander who ordered him to recall his men from their work of getting timbers 
for a rifle-pit to *' Dress back about three feet," the left of the crooked line of 
hastilj- stacked rifles, and saying with a curt salute, " J must not lose a mo- 
ment, sir, in fortifying my po.sitiou," dashed back to stimulate and direct his 
men, leaving his superior officer muttering a reluctant assent. 

When, as the rear guard of that sorrowful retreat from Chancellorsville, we 
cro.ssed the river to find the roads over which the army had passed, turned to 
fathomless mud, how he scorned the rule that required him to keep his place 
in line, and led the Eighty-third through woods and fields, reaching camp in 
time to have supper cooked and the men ready to sleep before the balance of 
the brigade appeared. 

Who can forget the cheers that broke tlirough the solemn decorum of dress 
parade when the order was ])ublished announcing the resignation of his pre- 
decessor and assigning liini to the command of the brigade. 

What superb generalship he showed at Goose creek in gauging the morale 
of the enemy, and when tlie flanking manoeuver that had driven Iiim across 
the Loudoun valley failed at last, because tlie creek was too deep to ford, })utting 
lum to rout by dashing at the ])ridge with sword flashing in air, and before a 
man had moved, shouting .so as to be plainly heard by the enemy, " There they 

go boys, now give them ! " Well, the rebels did not wait for the balance of 

the remark. The bridge was cleared, the cavalry thundered over and th(> 
enemy did not stoj) his retreat until lie leached the plain at the foot of 
Ashby's (lap. 

ill July, 18fi3, on this ground. \\c were making history. Assembled here 
to-day we ar(! making hi.story still. The correct story of Gettysburg has never 
Ix'cn. will never be, written. None but th(! actors on the field can tell the story, 
and each one can tell of his own knowledge but an infinitesimal part. Many 
conscientious historians have attempted to weave a symmetrical whole from 
such discoiuicctcd threads as tlicy can gather, but their accounts vary as their 
sources of inlbrmation. Every man owes to the memory of those who died here, 



Pennsylvania al Getlyshnnj. 433 

his best endeavor to tell truly the story ot their deeds, that tlie liistoriati of the 
lutiire may have tlie material out of wliich to lasliioii a truer story of (lettys- 
burg. 

We may fairly say, without fear of contradiction, and without taking a leaf 
from the laurels of other heroes, that the genius, the devotion, the heroism, 
the cousummate skill of Vincent, prevented the turning of our left flank .Tuly 
•J. held the enemy as in a vise, and preserved to our army possession of Little 
Round Top, the loss of which would have meant the loss of our Avhole position, 
and a victory for the enemy instead of the defeat wliieh Avas the beginning of 
the end. 

Full justice has never been done him in any account that I have seen. The 
Comte de Paris, in his admirable history, says that General Warren, who from 
his position with the signal corps had observed the ai^proach of the column sent 
by Longstreet to occupy this height, hastened to General Sykes near tlie wheat- 
lield, urging the necessity of placing troops there, and that Sykes sent Vin- 
cent's Brigade. General Doubleday, in his account, says that General War- 
ren, .seeing Barnes' Division, which Sykes had ordered forward, standing formed 
tor a charge to relieve De Trobriand, took the responsibility of detaching Vin- 
cent's Brigade and hurried it back to take post on Little Round Top. Neither 
is entirely correct, and Doubleday almost put in the mouth of Warren the very 
words used by Vincent. Although a iwivate soldier, my duty as Vincent's 
bugler and bearer of his brigade flag that day and during all the period of his 
command of the brigade, gave me better opportunities than even the ofiicers of 
his statr enjoyed to see and hear what occurred and was said, for the reason that 
they were busy transmitting his orders, while I never left him, but was always 
near enough to hear all verbal orders given and received. The incidents of 
that day are burned into my memory, and I am glad to-day of the opportunity 
of giving you my recollections of it. After a long time of waiting for orders in 
that position in the low ground near the Weikert house, listening to the terri- 
ble roar of artillery^ and musketry in our front, an officer came galloping toward 
us from the direction of the wheatfield. Vincent, with eyes ablaze, spurred to- 
wards him, and as he approached near enough to speak, said in his impetuous 
Avay, '■ Caijtaiu, Avhat are your orders?" Instead of answering, the othcer in- 
quired, "Where is General Barnes?" If Vincent knew, he did not answer. 
I had not seen him since morning. He was not at the head of his division. 
If he gave an order during the battle to any brigade commander I fail to lind 
a record of it in any account I have read. The other ])rigades of the division 
Ibught heroically in the line along the wheattield, but the orders appear to have 
been given by Colonel Tiltonand Colonel Sweitzer. Vincent repeated his ques- 
tion Avith empha.sis: '" What are j^ours orders? Give me your orders. " The 
cajDtain replied, " General Sykes told me to direct General Barnes to send one 
of his brigades to occupy that hill yonder." Without an instant's hesitation 
Vincent replied, '" I will take the responsibility of taking my bi'igade there," , 
and ordering Colonel Rice to follow as rapidly as possible, he dashed at full 
speed for the hill. The Eighty-third know how little time there was to spare. 
Military men would not have criticized him had he directed that staff olflcer to 
General Barnes and waited calmly for the order to move to be sent him through 
the regular channels. Some might censure his assumption of resiwnsibility. 
but had he waited, that advancing column of tlie enemy would have been in 
possession, and not even the Third Brigade could have dislodged it. 
28 



434: Pennsylvania at GeUysbunj. 

Kiding rapidly lo the suiniiiit lu' came out on t}ic liltl(> jdateauiii icai- of the 
position held later by the Sixteenth Michigan. I lollowed with the flag. A 
battei-y which had been firing at the signal flags a little further to our right, 
opened on us, and he directed me to retire behind the rocks. lu a few nroments 
he dismounted and, giving ]ue the bridle vein of Old Jim, went back on foot ex- 
amining the ground. When the head of the brigade appeared, its position Avas 
read}'. Pi'ofessional soldiers hav(> pronounced the jiosition chosen by him the 
finest .selected by a volunteer ofiicc r during the war. Many an officer ordered 
to occupy a hill would have lormeil his nuiin line along the summit, as did 
Bragg at Missionary Kidge, but he, knowing that the bravest men may some- 
times waver belbre an impetuous (diarge, placed them lower down, leaving a 
rallying point, and a position above lor reserves, should a .second line be re- 
(j^uired. The recoil of the Sixteenth Michigan when assaulted in front and 
flank, and the repul.se of that assault by the timely arrival of tlu' One lumdred 
and fortieth New York, in tlie ])lace he had left for it. prove the wisdom of hi.s 
choice. 

The line was held, but at what a cost. Throwing liiiuself into the breach 
he rallied his men. but gave up his own life. Comrades and friends, that was 
not a bauble thrown away. In the very flower of his young manhood, full of 
the highest promise, with the love of a young wife filling his thought of the 
future with the fairest visions, proud, gentle, tender, true, he laid his gift on 
his country's altar. It was done nobly, gladly, Xo knight of the daysof chiv- 
valry Avas ever more knightly. When, a few hours before, as we tramped along 
the dusty road in the night, marching to Getty.sburg, then unknown to fame, 
the old flag was unfurled and fluttered in the breeze, he reverently bared his 
head, and with the premonition of the morrow in his heart, and said solemnly, 
•' what more glorious death can any n;an <l(sirc than to die on the soil of old 
Pennsylvania fighting for that flagr"' 

Some of us wished that those words might lie placeil upon our monument, 
but the Commissioners would allow nothing but the cold transcript of records 
in the War Department. May we kee]) them giavcu in oui- licaits and teach 
them to our children. 

This place is holy groumi. I'he glory of ihe Christ is that he died fn men. 
He died, and we know he is not dead. May we not rexerently say that those 
who have gladly died for nun :ii(,' not dead, but are with us to-day: more liv- 
ing than when they stood to stem the tide of invasion. If we are ])roud to say 
that we were in that line on Little Round Toj), think you they regret it? 
With clearer vision than ours Iheireyes .see the glory of the coming of the Lord. 
They see this broad laud a nation; not an aggregation of petty sovereign states. 
They look down the coming years and see it jjeopled with a host of freemen, 
rejoicing in the result of their sacrifice. They are content. 

Let ns li.sten to them to-day. God forbid that this fair land should ever need 
.another such sacrifice, but if it fails lo ]irize its heritage, and must again be 
purified by fire, may we and our childicTi be able to sing as they sani;-: 

III the beauty of the Hlies (Jlirist was born acrcss tliesea; 

With a frlory in liis l)osom that tninsligures you and me. 
As lie (lied to make men holy, let us die to make men free, 
M'liile (;<)(! is niareliint;- on. 



Pennsi/lvarna <if (rcfff/shunj. 435 



ORATIC^N OF RKV. THEODORE 1'. ]'Rl DDEiN, I). 1). 

Ml;. Cliainuaii and soldiers ot' the ICisilii^-third Ivcgimeut: — Tiie wonls of 
any mau, nut of your regiment, seem .snpertluous, il" not intrusive, on 
this historic ground, where nu^moriesare sj)eakiug to you; where God 
and the nation once spoke, and where even the winds rustling throufih 
tlie trees, as well as these monuments, are saying, " other men labored," 
together with you, '" and^ye have entered into their labors."' 

The most impressive thought connected with the war is, to my mind, not 
battles nor hard- won victories, but the personal sacrifice ot" vast masses of men. 
Tbat is so stupendous that I wonder how it ever could have been made. 

Fmagine that now. as in 1861. you busy home-loving men heard again that 
appeal of doom, calling you from dear, delightful homes to the hardships and 
dangers of war, and you can estimate .something of what that sacrifice was. 
Doubtless some of you would see visions of possible glory, and feel the contagion 
of each other's example, while amid the sound of rife and drum, and jokes and 
.songs, you made your response. But recall what it was when parents bade 
their .sons enlist as they would bid them go and <lie, or left their young fami- 
lies, none too well jn'ovided for, and went themselves; when husbands .said to 
their wives "We must go," and brave women encouraged them, though their 
hearts were breaking; and when, after anxious jjrayer that this cup might pass, 
from them, the solemn '" frod's will be done "" was said. 

Think of hundreds of thousands of men, and you among them, leaving busi- 
ness and homes to tramp their beat at night and their marches by day ; to go 
without luxuries, to transform themselves into machines, obedient unto death, 
and to live under demoralizing influences; all in a mi.ssion which we glorify 
by calling it "serving the country," but which was none the less a mission to 
destroy life, to be instruments of ruin and desolation, to burn and batter cities, 
to transform fruitful fields into deserts, and to endure as well as to cause pain 
and wounds and death. Kemember what it was and must have been, when 
men were full of life as we ai'e in the morning, and at night lay dying on the 
ground ; when company- after company marched up to be targets for cannon, 
and " food for powder," as if they did not love their lives, or had more than 
one to lo.se ; when they received and obeyed orders whi<'h meant, to-day. and 
at once, you must die, or when they felt sickness, moredeadly than t)n]lcts coil- 
ing about them, and said " there is little hope." 

This battle-field to-day is like a pic-nic ground, where une most sensitive 
to snftering might walk without a shudder, but it recalls to you a picture, of 
men not of a,notherrace nor history. Imt like us ; killing and being killed, and 
lying here under the sun and rain. Conceive of the thoughts of many a man 
whom you knew, as he looked up at the distant stars and realized that before 
they faded in the .sunlight the .shadow feared of men would fall on him. or as 
his thought flew towards home, and he knew that he could not even leave his 
dust with those be loved, and all that they would ever know would be that he 
was killed in such a battle, and buried in the long trench of a common grave. 
The shot and shell had not expended its force when it took away some life here. 
It .sped far away to ruin families and blight other lives. Standing here and 
reading that list of battles on your monument, I think not only of. scenes of 
battle, 'out of homes made desolate, where there was no outward clianire. no 



436 Pennsylvania oJ (refti/sburg. 

coflin. no I'liiicral, only the comiug of a telegram saying '• your lather, or sou, 
or brother is dead,'" and then the weary days went on as if nothing had hap- 
pened. I think of poverty taking the place of abundam;e, because the bread- 
winner was gone, and of the inheritance of privation which many a soldier left 
to his children. I think of wounds and shattered health, and wrecked ambition. 
and the many whose i)rospects the war blighted, but who made no complaint. 
and I say " how awful was that sacrifice." 

There is a patriotism which is expressed in talk about our national greatness, 
in working for our party in an election, in waving ^the flag or in exploding 
powder. But there comes before me to-day, the vision of patriotism very dif- 
ferent as I think of .some soldier asking, " What will America be to me when 
I am dead ? " and then facing death, thinking, " What are this united nation 
and these homes that I should pay my life for them ? "' and yet paying it. I 
do not count the number of slain, nor limit the cost to those who died, but as 
Mount Blanc or the IVIatterhoru lifts its head above the other peaks of the Alps, 
so it seems to me human sacrifice lifts its head aJ)ove every other summit in 
this mountain range of war. 

And the glory of the .sacrifice, coloring it as the sunset colors .some snowy 
mountain top, is its unselfishness. On the slope of this hill men risked and 
lost all, not for themselves, not even for a good in which thej^ would share, but 
for benefits in which, just because they died, they could not share. That the 
homes and lives of others might be rich they became poor as the grave. For 
the security of other passengers on our .ship of state they offered themselves to 
the flames that would consume it. The ship was .saved, and it sails on, but 
they Avere left behind. 

A hero can receive no higher praise than to say that he gave or oflered his 
life for a great cause. 

In that almost divine self-abnegation with which an individual encounters 
■death for the sake of the body to which he belongs, there is a sort of mediatorial 
function that consecrates war, and spreads a covering of sublimitj- even over 
its carnage. This' devotion of an individual to the whole, overwhelms and ap- 
pals us. That the nation may rise the man sinks out of sight, vanishing in the 
earth like a drop of water, and Avithout a murmur. The nation moves on to 
honor and prosperity like some victorious Cicsar, l)ut the man is gone. He be- 
came a ste^) up which it climbed to its throne. llv .said in eftect, " T must 
perish that thou may est increase.'" 

Sacrifices and unselfishness are represented by that monument, )>ut so no less 
is the heroic virtue of allegiance to duty at whatever cost. Our wishes, hopes, 
amintions, are many, and of dazzling beauty. Duty is homely in features and 
harsh of voice. But when a man hears the thunder of duty's awful orders, or 
feels its grasp upon his arm, and then, turning away from all enticing syrens, 
obediently enters the rough path where dutj' bids him walk, even though he 
die, there is .seen the matchless majesty of manhood. 

It does not take much imagination to .see how the voice of duty came to you 
of the P>ighty-third liegiment, and to many others. First, gently saying "Per- 
haps you will be called on," and then louder and louder in its imperatives. L 
can ]»icture the holding back wjiile love and home entered their eloquent pleas. 
1 can fancy the debates of a man with his duty, urging arguments that would 
be convincing anywhere else. But the grip of duty closes on him. Its voice 
rises into an awful "you ought," into a resistless "you must," and he voluir 



Pennsylvania at (refiiishnrij. 437 

teer.s uuder it. to liglit. to snlVtir. and perhaps to die. Uljedience to duty de- 
cides the war. Tliis inonuinent is to men, wlio, had they sliirked duty, michfc 
liave been alive. .\nd this was after all their highest courage, displayed uot 
imly in the e.xcitement of battle. l)ul in the uninsi)ired monotony of daily life. 
As a bronze figure surmounts the granite base and gives itmeaningand glory, 
so it seems to me unselfish sacrifice, loyalty to duty, and coui-age surmount all 
other characteristics of th(' soldiers, and of llieni this day and this nioiuinient 
are the memorials. 

But there is another thought that presses to tlie front, and that is, did this 
loss and sacrifice jmy ? Did it pay, not merely you, who. though you gave, .still 
live to enjoy the fruits of your victories, but did it pay men who took their last 
view of earth through the smoke and .shots oa this Little Round Top? If the 
silent lips of that statue representing your general could speak, I do not doubt 
that they would say with startling emphasis : " Yes, it did pay : '' and " In 
like circumstances I would do the same again." " It did j»ay.'" I doubt not 
you say, after all these years, even while your fingers fumble the empty sleeve 
and your hand grasps the familiar crutch. But it paid, it jmid, let us not for- 
get it. only because '' No man liveth and no man dieth to himself alone." If 
the chief object of life which it pays each man to seek is his own individual 
success and happiness, then it did not pay. If that object be to live as many 
years as possible, or for each one to get profit for himself and let others who 
are weaker look out for themselves, then the sacrifice made by the soldiers who 
died, did not pay them. They bartered what is be.st for what is inferior. 

But it did pay them, because there are other attainments higher than that 
■which they gave up. It paid them and you, becau.se, first, obedience to duty is 
})etter than ease or a long life. If they lost the latter they gained the former. 
It paid, second, because they rose up and clutched the courage and self-sacrifice 
which fly high out of the reach of those who live only for themselves. It paid 
tliem and you, because, third, it is true that the welfare of the many is worthier 
than the welfare of any one individual. Once admit that our own private inter- 
ests are superior to those of the public, and you might as well chisel on that 
monument the words " They made a fatal mistake," Because the contrary is 
true ; because no man's self is supreme, they made no mistake. 

Only a contracted view of what life is for .says nothing pays which does uot 
add to oneself, and counts all sacrifice a loss which does not briug back to oue- 
.self money, or ease, or glory. A broader view .sees that nothing pays but serv- 
ing a good, or a cause that is greater than oneself. It pays to sow a field that 
thousands may reap with joy, though we never reap our.selves, and may suffer 
in the sowing. It pays to plant a tree under who.se .shade the wayfarers of the 
future may sit. There is a good of men and of the nation, and they who in- 
vest their lives therein, save them. There is a good of one's own little self, 
and they who invest their lives wholly therein, lose them. The highest who 
ever trod this earth gave Himself in service of the many. Xo deeds pay so 
well as those that have some likene.ss to His. 

It paid tho.se who died and you who live, fourth, because it pays to be a nuin 
and bear a man's burdens; though one be crushed beneath them. It never 
pays to save one's life at the expense of one's manhood. Between acting like 
men and .shirking, ihey had to choose. Xo words can express the aw^ful price 
Avhich the choice cost them, but they kept their manhood. What could have 
paid them for its lo.ss? 



438 Pcinisi/lvania af Getty nlmrg. 

It paiti lluiii and you, as it always ]>ays, lifth. fo uuviiitain a trust, and 
especially such a trust as you sohlicis had. It <'inl)udied the welfare ol' mil- 
lions. It was a trust that eontained all tor which our lathers fought and 
labored, and therefore all of our inheritance from the past and onr hopes for 
the future. Often, I think, its greatness must have almost overwhelmed you. 
But given the tru.st, nothing could pay but to guard it. The dust of the earth 
has blinded our eyes if we cannot see a higher gain in loyalty to such a trust, 
than in gold or land.s or length of life. We only show our inappreciation of 
\ alues when w-e esteem that highest which they lost, and that lowest which they 
gained. 

It paid them and you because this is a ('ountry with ])rinciples and institu- 
tions that are worth dying lor. ■ But they are not the country aud could not 
have been harmed by disunion. We are proud of its wealth and commerce, 
but all the wealth of i)rairies and cities would not paj' a man to lay down his 
life. But when we say " our country " we mean the freedom of every indivi- 
dual, we mean the principle of representative government "of the people, by 
the people, and for the people." We mean the institutions which our fathers 
planted and gave to us to tend. We mean the tree of civilization, as yet a 
.sapling, whose shade and whose fruit will be a rest and refreshment to future 
luillious. We mean the highest well-being of citizens, living without war, set- 
tling their differences at the ballot-bo.\, and rearing their children in security, 
and the fear of (Jod. 

The.se are the real meaning of our tiag. It was these that tieneral Vincent 
saw emblazoned in its stars, and written across its stripes, when he said, " what 
more glorious death could anj' man have than to die on the soil of Pennsyl- 
vania fighting for the old flag?" 

What more glorious indeed! Estimate other things which men may have 
gained when life ends; pleasure, business, success, even homes and love. They 
are beautiful. I do not belittle them in the least. General Vincent had tasted 
them. But are they more glorious, or more .satisfying, than what is repre- 
sented by our flag? Nothing endures that does not reach outside of ourselves. 
'"That which is seen is tempoi'al, that which is unseen is eternal." The civil- 
ian dies as surely as the soldier ; but mankind, liberty, civilization, righteous- 
ness, abide. Lives given to them are built into the eternal temple of hu- 
manity. They are not wasted when they die. Dust and a.shes are not all that 
remain. In the shelter of that temple will gather generations who never knew 
of the war. There they will worslii]> at its altars; they will be lifted upas 
they breathe its .sacred air. It pays to I)uil(l mortal lives into flu' walls of tliat 
('iiduriiig .structure. 

If those w ho fell here or (ilsewhere, behold, as 1 believe they do, the peace 
that rests upon our land as if with Heaven's own benediction, the inviolate 
Constitution, the irnion welded as it never was before, the influences steadily 
working to lift up and benefit men; if they see how .self-government and free 
institutions would liave suffered, and the worth of citizenship have depreciated 
had the Union been broken; if they si-e Ibis they may say, " It was at a dread- 
ful co.st tliat this good was gained, but we did not sacrifice in vain." 

.Vnd so let me say to you now in the ])rcsence of this monument and while 
you reverently think of what nun did and dared, that it is the soldierly virtues 
and (jualities which are needed m this land to-day. Not money, not railroads, 
not more business, not guns and swords to defend the Hag. Thank God ! that 



renn.siiivanla <it (ieUyslmiuj. 439 

fliiy flouts oil a peacffiil breeze, over Nortli and South, and its stars glisten as 
if in the i)roud eoiisciousness of security. We need the (jiialities of the ideal 
jsoldior as we think of liini to-day, the man who, recognizing the value of liis 
country, is willing to work and sacritice that every real reform and every higher 
excellence may be established. Now, as truly as wlien the Southern army en- 
tered Pennsylvania, there is need of soldierly courage, fine-grained, and ready 
to stand uj> for right, and opjiose wrong, tlrat dares to b<> witli a minority, that 
will not compromise witli evil, and that is the chamnion of integrity and truth, 
iiud a pure citizenship. 

Xow, no less than tlien. there is -a. need of soldierly un.sellisline.ss that places 
the public welfare above one's individual gain or i>arty. In battle each one 
of you wa.s inspired by an idea that lifted you out of yourself. How little any 
private schemes seemed then I That same soldierly (luality, transplanted into 
times of ])eace, asks not what do 1 like, but what is Ijest for this jjeojde? Not 
always, what can I get, l)ut what can 1 give : not whai will exalt me. but what 
will exalt every thing for which the old Hag stands? The nnsoldierly ])laciug 
ourselves tirst, and thinking how we may get all \\c can frf)n\ the country', is 
the spirit of your old friend, the army sutler, of unblessed memory, whose aim 
Avas simply to gain as much as j)ossible, l)ut keep himself safe. If such a .spirit 
had animated yon at Gettysburg, it would have made cowards of you all. 

There is need of soldierly loyalty to duty now as well as in \HH\. If homes, 
and society, and xjolitics are to keep jiurc or lo grow better, somebody must en- 
list in their service and pay the cost. There is need of .soldierly patriotism 
that looks at America with a lover's eyes, and sees how beautiful and generous 
she is, and .so is vigilant lest she be harmed, resjjonds to bci- ajjpeals. and would 
labor tor h<-r honor and adornment. 

Think not because there is no danger of our country's dismemberment that 
it has no foes. AVhatever harms homes, and society, and modesty, and intel- 
ligence, is a foe of the nation, because it injures and corrupts its citizens. Do 
you not see ignorance, intemperance, vices, political corruption and all im- 
morality with their hostile flag? Do jou not recognize them, even under the 
disguise of friends? They are no less dangerous than men armed with cannon 
.shooting at our flag. Their raids are more deadly and ])er.sistent than that one 
which was turned back at Gettysburg. 

Think not because our Constituticm is secure, that there is nothing more to 
gain. The welfare of the nation consists in the moral character of its citizens. 
There is that to gain and to keep. A hostile flag is unfurled when bribery be- 
comes a round of the ladder up to victory in an election, or a citizen does him- 
self what would make this a land of drunkards and liberti!i(>s and corrupters, 
if done by all. 

The welfare of the nation lies in the conscience of the peojde, for that is the 
citadel of its honor, without which great riches may easily become its curse. 
The welfare of the nation depends upon education, without which a citizen, 
like a baby, may not be able to distinguish his friends from his foes. It de- 
pends upon the environment in which boys and girls grow up, which being of 
one kind may make them a blessing, or being of another kind may make them 
a reproach. 

" Peace has her victories no less r<-nowued than war.'' The heroic age did 
not end at Appomattox. It will not end till the Kingdom of God has fully 
come. In the present war you may -ee again tho.se characters .so well-known 



440 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

twcuiy-Hve years ago. The enemy, with uiilnrled flag and wearing the uni- 
I'orm of dishonor to liomes and manhood; the stayers at home, who do not en- 
list, but valiantly criticise the soldiers and blame them because the war is not 
over, and the copperheads, sympathizing more or less openly with the enemy; 
the neutrals, ready to cheer for whichever side wins; and then the soldiers ex- 
ciianging shots with every oi)en evil, and throwing up breastworks about every 
national virtue. 

As I look into your faces 1 believe that you were soldiers with the soldierly 
spirit of which I have spoken, and that you are such still. Alas ! it is possible 
for the ex-hero, the ex-soldier, who once risked his life for his country, to now 
sit still while the enemy triumphs, nay, even to be active in the ranks of tliose 
who would harm and degrade the people. 

You never stand so near where you stood when you fought bravely on this 
or some other memorable field, as when you tight for righteousness and purity 
now. You never stand so far away from those who died a soldier's deatli in 
battle, as when you ser\e any vice or corruption. 

Think not. honored veterans, that the occasion for.soldierliness is past. God 
has given us this country to be cared for. It is like a farm. Y''ou cleared away 
forever that century -old weed of disunion. But other weeds will grow where 
the soil is rich. A sterile, worn-out farm might be neglected, but one like this 
of ours requires constant and careful cultivation. 

You have met to dedicate this montiment in memory of your fallen com- 
lades. and of your own glorious history. I congratulate you upon your monu- 
ment; its elegance, its massiveness, its appropriateness. Its granite will not 
be .so enduring as the results for which you tbught. It itself is not more solid 
than the Union of States. Standing here, through the .storms of j'ears, it will 
exemplify how you stood in times that tried men's souls. That figure of Gen- 
eral Vincent, the ideal soldier, counting not himself as he uusheaths his sword 
for his country, typifies no less the ideal citizen and patriot now. 

I congratulate you on your monument, but I congratulate you more ttpon 
your history, Avhich even the long record of your battles only faintly describes. 
Of that the United States are your living monument. Here you place a rich 
and costly tribute to jour comrades who sleep their long sleep. But am I not 
right in saying there is a l)etter tribute than even this, namely, the cherishing 
lovingly the land and the people for Avhich they died? So long as right and 
wrong shall meet and clash, so long it seems to me the soldiers rising from 
their graves might say, "'Your best response to our sacrifices for the public 
good is vigilance and sacrifices for the public good. You best appreciate our 
services by rendering the best .services to the .same cause. Honor to the dear 
' country is honor to us. Injury or the suffering of injury to it, is dishonor to 
us. We saved the .ship from pirates once, it is yours therefore to keep it from 
rocks and guide it on a more prosperous voyage. ^Ye died to unite the TTnion. 
You live to inake it fragrant with honor, Idooming with intelligence, strong in 
integrity, and a))undant in righteousnes.s. '' 




PMCT6. Of W. H. TIPTON, GETTYSBURG. 



PRINT : TML F. GUTEKUNST CO.. PHILA. 



Pennsylvania at (Tetfi/.sburfj. 441 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

84™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

Septemhkr 1 1, iSSy 
ADDRESS OF CAPTAIN THOMAS E. MERCHANT 

SOLDIERS of the Eighty-fourth Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran Volun- 
teers:— If the feeling with which these words of salutation are heard and 
accepted, is like unto the feeling that prompts their utterance, then are 
we fully compensated in our coming together. We name the old regi- 
ment, aud what recollections crowd in upon us; memories of the camp, the 
march, and the field. Some fond — many weighted with the touch of sorrow 
felt in its heavy burden even until now, through all of so much of time. In 
the presence of these recollections I could not hope to control your thought. I 
would not ask you simply to follow words as I speak them, but rather that you 
be all of memory, all of feeling, thinking, listening the while if you can, but 
surely thinking. For in thought you can cover more ground in moments than 
I could travel for you in days. Together you comprise the whole book, the 
turning of whose pages wakens memory to every detail, while from the one in- 
dividual you can have no more than the head-lines to the volume whose con- 
tents you are so familiar with. Together you know what our regiment was; 
alone I can but outline to you, and that roughly, a meagre part of the full 
story of the Eighty-fourth. Its history could be found only in the evei-ythino- 
that could be told by each of all the hundreds, living and dead, who numbered 
its total strength. But where your special individual interest lies it is not pos- 
sible for me to tread. I wish I could tell the story of every company relate 
the incidents of every mess, and note the experiences of every individual. 

Many the time we have recalled our comradeship, more especially with tho.se 
with whom we were brought in the closer association. It would be a pleasant 
theme were I at liberty to name the latter and their never-forgotten deeds, that 
I might place on record my keen appreciation of their kindlj^ acts at a time 
when kindness was most to be valued, and fidelity most to Ije prized. But in 
whatever I do upon this occasion, I stand reminded that I am not to tread 
over again my individual walk, nor .speak again my personal conversation. 
What is said — what is done — shall be, so far as may be. of all for all. 

Not manj' of us had the opportunity to know very much outside the limits 
of the company'; and fewer of us beyond the limits of the regiment. And it 
was well for good service that the majority of .soldiers were content with tlie 
work assigned them, and gave but little heed to the details of location of armies 
or corps, and but little thought to the place of divisions or brigades. 

Who was the best-po.sted man on the news ? Who the readiest army talker? 
Who the general of the camp? The soldier who was not to be found in the 
place his enlistment called for at the time when his presence would have told 
the most. It was well for the .service that he did not number many. 

The good soldier ought not to think it strange, that while in evervthino he 
did his duty well, he does not know much of what was done by regiments other 
than his own, and would be at a lo.ss to name the number of his brigade. Nor 
must he think that the comrade who stood side V)y side with him is the only 



442 Pennsylvania at Getti/.s/nny. 

one nnstakcii as to the occnrrences of tlie day. It would not always be well 
to accept a soldier of F Conipanj' as a conclusive witness of what took place in E.if 
there was dispute as to the Ijearing of the line, or question as to who were the 
tii-st to advance ; and v'et, no one will Ijend the ear more gladly than myself to 
the recitals of a soldier in fact, because I know he gives us the truth as he be- 
lieves it. And if from the data thus gathered, I count that his regiment was 
killed, or permanently disabled, twice over, I attribute the outcome to a lack 
somewhere in the arithmetic, and not to a vice in the teller. And, in this con- 
nection, we must not overlook the fact of the years that have rolled by. 

Twenty-four years and upward in the circle of time measures the distance of 
our close, very close, comradeship. Yeai's more than many of us had numbered 
prior to the beginning, four years belbre, of the long campaign. The time that 
preceded and that which has followed, make up the life ordinary. The long 
four years was the life within the other life. In it was contained the greatest 
of all wars from the world's beginning— the war against the rebellion of '61. 

Hirelings were not upon either side. It was man against man in the fight. 
Soldier pitted against soldier. Each individual fighting the issue which so 
nearly concerned himself It was the greatest of rebellions against the grandest 
of governments. If successful, to the world it would have been the greatest 
and grandest of revolutions. 

It was not a conflict forced merely for the perpetuation of slavery. It was 
the institution of the crown, and not preservation of the chattel, that most 
moved the men who moved the South from '89 to '61. 

One people in government, and yet in sentiment and practices as far removed 
as two nationalities. 

Forced together for mutual protection, yet from the beginning thoroughlv 
divided in appreciation of the powers of a free government. 

In human direction, it was birt a run of time when, as a government for the 
whole people, the central power would be called upon to assert itself by the 
power of might. 

Neither of the existing conditions would have won to the United States a con- 
stitution for their government such as was fixed upon and has come along, in 
its working, thiough all of a hundred years, without a break in any of its pro- 
visions. Every line of it, as to matters upon which men could differ, was agreed 
upon for submission to the states, because necessity admitted of no other course 
for them, and live. Well was it for .stability of government that, when the 
substance had pa.ssed the gauntlet of discussion, the words had been so well 
])laced that not a letter was found astray when the great test came. No docu- 
ment of state has. or ever will, surpa.ss it in sublimity of thought, arrangement 
of detail, clearness of expression or force of powei'. 

In the assertion of the binding powers of this constitution, the Eighty-fourth 
had a part, and you were a part of the P^ighty-fourth. 

Your regiment was to you the command which centered your soldier life. 
And well content mayyou be in the fact that its character secured for it a repu- 
tation which, to everyone of us has been a thing of justandaflcctionate pride. 
I studied that character at a time when I felt it was ever^'thing to me. Mv 
varied experiences in the sev(;ral i)ositions in company and regiment, which I 
occupied, enabled me to found a Judgment which has been very clearly and 
most positively strengthened l)y every knowledge since acquired. The tenor 
of that judgment vou will gatlier as I ))rocecd, in an imperfect way. to tell you 
a part of what you did in tiirce years and nine months of .soldier life. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 443 

In the month of July. ISKL authority was jiranted directly by the Secretary 
of War, to recruit in the western part of Pennsylvania the Mountain Brigade, 
to be composed of infantry, cavalry and artillery; and upon its organization 
to be mustered into the service of the United States. Among the persons named 
in the order was one J. Y. James, who was to be assigned tf) tlie command of 
the troops when thus organized. The recruiting camp for the infantry was lo- 
cated three miles out of the town of Huntingdon, on the Warm Springs road. 

In accordance with the purpose that the recruiting and organization of the 
])rigade should be under the direction of a regular army oflicer. Captain Cros- 
man, of the Quartermaster's Department, United States Army, was detailed by 
the W"ar Department for that duty, hence the name given to the camp to which 
the early recruits of the Eighty-fourth ever looked back as their original soldier 
home, and the birth-place of the regiment. The projectors of the brigade had 
reached out to three regiments of infantry, to be numbered respectively eighty- 
four,one hundred and ten, and, somewhat uncertain, but said to be. thirty-nine. 

I have given the numbers in the order named, ^ilacing the Eighty-fourth at the 
head, in view of the fact that its commander was to be the ranking regimental 
officer of the brigade. William G. Murray, Blair county, was .selected as the 
■colonel of the Eighty-fourth : William D. Lewis, of Fhiladelphia, as colonel of 

the One hundred and tenth ; and Curtis, of Philadelphia, as Colonel of 

the third regiment. Whatever was done toward the building up of the last- 
named regiment, came to naught by the promulgation of an order transferring 
its recruits to the One hundred and tenth, and making transfers from the One 
hundred and tenth to the Eighty -fourth. While the reason for this double trans- 
fer has been intimated, it is not so certainly correct as to justify its .statement 
as altogether fact. The brigade feature failed of accomplishment. Cavalry nor 
artillerj- put in an appearance ; and James, the proposed ])rigade commander, 
did not identify himself with either regiment. But. while James did not be- 
come commander of the ^Mountain Brigade, the attempt to .so locate him did 
place in the field two of the most efficient among all the regiments that entered 
their country's service in the War of the Eebellion, whether in the Army of the 
Shenandoah, the Army of Virginia, the Army of the Potomac or anj' other of 
the armies of the Union. Eecruiting for the Eightj'-fourth commenced early in 
the month of August, the first enlistment date on the roll being the 16th of that 
month. 

I do not venture the name of the first soldier of the regiment, lest, like to 
the naming of the youngest boy in the army. I might afterwards be met with 
.scores of avowals that the record does not show strictly c!orrect. Then, again, 
the serenity of manner, and mildness of word, with which a soldier is wont to 
put a criticism, makes it desirable to avoid placing such a necessity before him. 
if a simple omission will save his feeling upon the particular point, and the 
service be in no way injured thereby. 

On the 23d of October, the regimental organization waseflected. In Novem- 
ber, the regiment was ordered to report at Camp Curtin, which most Pennsyl- 
vania soldiers remember so well as overlooking Harrisburg. Here the enlist- 
ments were continued, and on the ;23d of December the officers and men were 
mustered as a regiment into the service of the United States for three years, 
there being at the time nine companies. " H '" omitted. Two days previous to 
the muster, the regiment was presented by Governor Curtin, on behalf of the 
State, with the colors. 



444 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



The lield and staff officers were: Colonel, William (;. Murray; lieutenaul- 
lolonel, Thomas C. MacDowell; major. Walter Barrett: adjutant. Thomas 11. 
Craig: quartermaster. John M. Kepheart; surgeon. Gibbouey F. Hoop; assistant 
surgeon, C. A. W. Redlick; eiiaplain. Alexander McLeod: sergeant-major, Wil- 
liam ^I. Gwinn; quartermaster-sergeant, G. A. Ramey; drum-major. Foster 
Wighaman; fife-major, Thaddeus Albert. 

Line officers: Company A, captain, Robert L. Horrell; first lieuteuaut, 
Jonathan Derno; second lieutenant, Charles Reem. Company B, captain, Har- 
rison W. Miles; first lieutenant, Samuel Bryan: .second lieutenant, George 
Ziuu. Company C, captain. Abraham J. Crissmau, first lieutenant. B. M. 
Morrow, second lieutenant. Charles O'Xeil. Company D, captain, Alexander 
J. Frick; first lieutenant, Uzal H. Ent; second lieutenant, Calvin MacDowell. 
Company E. captain, Patrick Gallagher; first-lieutenant. Patrick F. Walsh: 
second lieutenant, John Maloney. Company F, captain, Robert M. Flack: 
first lieutenant, Milton Opp; second lieutenant. Jacob Peterman. Company 
G, captain. J. Merrick Housler; first lieutenant, James Ingram; second lieuten- 
ant, D. W. Taggart. Company I, captain, Joseph L. Curby: first lieutenant, 
Clarence L. Barrett; second lieutenant, John W. Paulley. Company K, captain, 
Matthew Ogden; first lieutenant, Charles H. Volk; second lieutenant. John 
W. Taylor. 

STKEX(i'rH OK CoMI'.VMES. 



A, 
B, 

C, 
D, 
E, 
F, 

I. 

K. 



Total oflScers and men, . 





a 






73 


ffi 






-^ 




X 


a 






















s 


c 


s 


» 


^ 




^ 


ac 


^ 




« 




d 




'% 


5 
o 




3 


^ 


P 


3 


5 


8 


77 


2 


96 


3 


5 


.T 


44 


3 




61 


3 





8 


67 


2 




86 


3 


a 


3 


67 


2 




81 


3 


5 


6 


73 


2 




90 


3 


4 


4 


70 


2 




84 


3 


.) 


a 


70 


2 




83 


3 


.5 


8 


75 


2 




94 


3 


.» 


8 


TZ 


2 




91 














766 

















Murray's selection for the colonelcy of the Eighty -fourth may be attributed 
to the part which he took as an officer in the Mexican war, where he did hon- 
orable and praiseworthy service. Several of the men had responded jiromptly 
to the first call lor three-montlis' trooi)s, and were now on their way for the 
longer term. 

On the 31st of December, the last day of the year 18()1, acting upon orders 
received to report at Hancock, Maryland, the regiment left Harrisburg at 2 
o'clock in the afternoon, on a train made up of twenty-one cars, for Hagers- 
town, where it arrived at 6 o'clock in the evening of that day. 

On the 1st of January, 1862, early in the morning, began the first in the long 
.series of the weary, footsore, leg-tiring, patience-testing and body-exhausting 
marches which were to be taken in the coming tlnee and a half years. The 
morning was cold — cold enough to do full jn.stice to the time of the season and 
the sea.son of the year. Avhat we characterize a bitter day. and a bitter experi- 
ence was it for the l)ovs who were vet to learn the attendants of war. A driv- 



/'fintst//va/ii<i (if (Tcftij.sliii m. 445 

iiig wind, with a I'all nT snow, iiuulc wlial would liavc heen a luore tlian un- 
comfortable bivouac for tlic niglit, wcit' it not tliat to the weary traveler there 
is not less of comfort in stopping than in going, it was the less for the greater 
hardship, and the freezing could go on through the night unaccompanied by 
the strain of the marcli. Clear Sjjring had been left lichind tlirougli the day. 
and the stop at night was without tents. 

Nine o'clock of the 2d marked the regiment again on the way, and on the 
mountain top at Fairview was had the first sight of secession land, the Dixie 
of the song, and then on to Hancock, by the bank of the Potomac, the terminal 
of the order that initiated the war .service that started active, and on that line 
developed, continuously, to a fuJness sufficient to meet the hardiest specula- 
tions of the most radical expectant. The National pike furnished the road- 
way from Hagerstown to Hancock. The arrival at Hancock was in the even- 
ing of the 2d. The regiment was put in quarters just vacated by the Thir- 
teenth Massachusetts, which had l>een passed on its way dow ji the river in 
canal boats. 

The day of arrival at Hancock was in the nintli month of a war that had not 
been lacking in vigor ot movement on the part of the foe Avhich the govern- 
ment had encountered, and yet so little of system had been attained, and so 
little of war wisdom sought after, that a regiment of soldiers was traveled from 
Harrisburg without arms, and that to a point just across a river, narrow and 
shallow, from where lie the forces whose movements the regiment had been 
sent to check. 

On the 3d the guns were handed out. They ^\ere of the old Belgian make, 
containing all the tallow that the barrel would accommodate in addition to the 
several cartridges necessary to be supplied before the moistened powder could 
be induced to ignite. When they Avere carried over into Virginia, and the 
warmth of the fire reached the explosive grain, you can think now, as you 
realized then, that even the Belgian was not built to throw more than one ball 
at the same fire without repairs to one or the other — the gun or the man. 

But why say, or even think fault of what was done, for what was not done, 
then. Everybody is wiser now. Through all its after course the regiment 
proved itself full worthy of the reputation at that time, so early in its history, 
at the very beginning of its campaign, imjiliedly accorded it, that it would go 
wherever ordered to go, and pick up on the way whatever could be found most 
effective for the best work. And there w^as the full regulation uniform. The 
appearance presented in the dark blue, the tail coat, the plentiful hat, and the 
extra cap. Who can saj' that these things were not sufficient to keep Stone- 
wall Jackson on the other side, notwithstanding the apparent absence of arms? 
for, competent soldier that he was, he could not have been induced to believe 
that, in the ninth month of the war, a regiment of United States regulars would 
have been permitted at the front without all requisite paraphernalia close at 
hand. On the night of the 3d, the regiment was crossed over the Potomac on 
scows, and marched six miles across the country to Batli. the summer resort 
known as Berkeley Springs. Here were met Captain Russell's company of First 
Maryland Cavalry, two companies of the Thirty-ninth Illinois Infantry, and a 
section of artillery, two guns, with which force the Eighty-fourth was to co- 
operate, with Colonel Murray, the ranking officer, in command. On the morn- 
ing of the 4th, from out of Bath, up on the mountain top, and there formed in 
line. From this point the rebel array could be plainly seen advancing along 



44(! Ptnns//fr<iniu at Geityslmitj. 

tiie liircc- roiuls: .lack.soirs lbr<<: of ten tliousaiid, con^^isliug of 1", Willi's, Long- 
street's and 1-^arly's brigades, suiipleniented by Ashby's ravah\-. 

A detail iVom the; regiment was thrown out as pickets or skirniisliers. It is 
liardly retjuirexl 1o say that these were forced back as the enemy moved on, 
until our small force was almost surrounded. Sufficient show of strength was 
kept up to deter Jackson from moving faster. 

About one o'clock in the afternoon, word was had that the artillerj- had ex- 
hausted their ammunition, and jMurray concluded to fall back. The regiment 
could not return by the way it had come. A guide was sought.found and pressed 
into the service. His inclination was much toward the other side, and he .soon 
showed himself more desirous of coming np with Ashby than of pointing out a 
safe approach to the river. At one point he came so near the accomplishment 
of his purpose, that iliirray gave him a gentle caution in about these words: 11^ 
one of my men Icses his life by yotrr movement, your o \vn life will be the forfeit. 
Thtis kindly admonished, the guide changed the course of the march and con- 
ducted the regiment to Sir John's run, six miles up the river, from w^iich 
point the way "was along the i-ailroad, under the high bluffs, to the old mill 
opposite Hancock. The problem now presented was how to avoid attack while 
lecrossing. Upon Captain Jvussell's suggestion the two companies of the Thirty- 
ninth Illinois were placed in ambush, while he so disposed his men as to draw 
Ashby on. The manoeuvre worked well, and A.shby was so much surprised liy 
the tmexpected lire as to de.sist from further attempt. Some of the men, to 
avoid the delay attending the slow navigation of the ancient feriy, adopted the 
alternative of wading the stream, trusting to the artillery tire of the enemy to 
warm them up by the time they reached the other side. In the crossing, one 
man "was lost to the regiment — whether to the world is to this hour a (juestion. 

As an addendum to the story of the muskets, it may be stated that the regi- 
ment crossed the river without belts, cartridge boxes or cap pouches, carry- 
ing the cartridges in one pocket and the caps in the other. This omission was 
for want of time to adjust the belts. It seems incredible that less than a 
thou.sand men w<'re thus successful in holding so many thousand in check for 
an entire day. and without death, Avouud or capture of a man. However, the 
good .service was in fact done, and history is no more remiss as to this event 
tlian it is as to the deprivation, toil and lighting of all the i-amjiaign in the 
valley to July of 18G:>. 

On the night of the Itli, (iiiieral j.andcr arrived at llaneoek and assumed 
command of all the troops. 

The regiment that was to go sitle liy side with the Eighty-fourth for the com- 
ing eighteen months, now composed a ])art oftlielbree at Hancock, the One 
hundred and tenth Pennsylvania. The enemy ke]it up the artillery lire from 
the bluffs oppo.site until midnight. 

On the morning of the 5th, under cover of a llag of truce, Ashby came over 
the river and was met at the bank ))y Colonel .Murray, .\shby was blindfolded 
and conducted to tlie quarters ol' '•!;■" company, into a loom occupied by the 
captain, lirst lieutenant and first sergeant, 'i'lie liandage 1)eing removed, Ashby 
put the que.stion: '' Who did you say is in command here ? "' ^Murray replied. 
■• I do not think I said who isin command."' Asiiby'sexpert question not bring- 
ing the expected reply, he then delivered to IMurray the mes.sage he had from 
Jackson, a demanil of the commanding officer of the troops for the surrender of 
the town "within two hours, or he would shell i(. Muiray turned Ashby over 



l'('nnsiilvanl<t at GeUi/shi/rg. 447 

to the care of Sergeant Mather, while he went to IJeneial Lauder to repeat 
Jackson's demand. Lander was desirous of knowing how long our men would 
stand under fire, and upon being assured l)y ^lurray that thej- had acted very 
well the day before, he refused the demand, in terms much emphasized, with 
the suggestion that if Jackson wanted the t own lie would have to take it. When 
Murra}^ had delivered Lander's reply to Ashby, he reconducted the latter to the 
li ver bank and Ashby recrossed. The details of this incident are given as sliow- 
ing the aptness of the commander of the Eighty-fourth for a sudden and trying 
occasion. Notice was given to the citizens ol' the threatened shelling, and they 
were not long in getting beyond artillery limits. Our men were placed in the 
streets at points best adapted for checking any attempt of the enemy to cross. 
At the appointed time the lire commenced and continued through the day. On 
the (3th, the artillery tire was mostly from our side. On the 7th and 8th rein- 
forcements arrived. This mid-winter movement of .lackson from Winchester 
was for the purpose of capturing the stores at Romuey, Virginia, by surprise of 
the small force stationed there. As soon as Lander became aware of Jackson's 
purpose he started off in a two-hor.se wagon, accompanied only by his adjutant: 
drove as rapidly as he could along the National pike to Cumljerland. then across 
the river and from there to Romney, in time to prevent the hoped-for surprise, 
and to get the troops away with all the stores that could be removed, destroy- 
ing the remainder. 

On the 10th, started from Hancock, in company with the One hundred and 
tenth Pennsylvania, and .Vndrews" Independent Comi)any of sharpshooters, 
marched eighteen miles, stopping at half-past two the next morning. .\ detail 
from the regiment boarded a canal boat loaded with ammunition, as a guard to 
Cumberland. Their saving of a march was somewhat offset by a keen appreci- 
ation of the situation, knowing that a well-directed, or even stray, shot would 
destroy the boat and all of the boat load. The hoofs of the motive power were 
muffled to deadeu the tramp of the mule. Continued on the 11th, along the 
National pike, the last contingent reached Cumberland on the 12th, and closing 
a forced march of forty miles. Jackson, baffled in his purpose, returned to Win- 
chester. His Georgia troops especially suffered severely from their winter 
march. 

On the IGth, from Cumberland to North Branch bridge on the Virginia side. 
On the 17th, at 3 p. m., review of all the troops On the ■25th, lirst muster for 
pay, and on February .5, first pay drawn. On the 6th, at (3 a. m., taken on 
cars to South Sranch bridge, this being the beginning of the movement to re- 
open the Baltimore and Ohio railroad from Cumberland down. On the itth. 
reached Paw-Paw tunnel, and bivouacked in the snow. On the 10th, put up 
tents along the river, known as Camp Cha.se, and on the II th, reviewed by 
Colonel Kimball. On the 13th, all the troops, excepting the Eighty-fourth 
Pennsylvania and Seventh Virginia, left for Winchester, along with the artil- 
lery. On the 21st, first battalion drill. 22d, review by General Lander. 28th, 
ordered to be ready to move at a moment's notice. On March 2, at Paw-Paw, 
occurred the death of General Lander from wound received at IJall's Bluff. 
Colonel Kimball succeeded to the command. On the 3d, obsequies attending 
General Lander's death. On the Gth. marched as far as Back creek, eight miles 
below Hancock, on the Virginia side. At this creek the regiment cro.ssed on 
a suspension bridge of two wire ropes with boards laid thereon, sixty feet above 
the water. At two o'clock on the morning of the 7th, arrived at Martinsburg. 



448 Pt'itnsijlvunid ot Gettysburg. 

t)ii the stli. by order of the I'resident, the troops operating in Virginia were 
chis-sed iu live army oorps — the Fifth C()iui)rised of Banks' and Shields' Divisions, 
the Eighty-fourth being assigned to the Second Brigade (Carroll), Second Divi- 
sion (^Shields), Fifth Corps (Banks). 

On the 11th, from Martinsburg at s a. m.. reaching Bunker's Hill at 4 p. m.. 
from there at 11 p. m., halting at .'i a. m. of the 12th, eighteen miles from Mar- 
tiusburg and four from "Winchester. At 8 a. m. advanced one-half mile and 
formed line. Winchester occupied by Union troops. Artillery fire kept up 
through the day of the 13th. On the night of the 14th, tents arrived and Avere 
put up on the ground known as Camp Kimball, two miles north of Winchester. 
On the 18th, moved at 11 a. m., through Winchester, marching fourteen miles 
in the direction ofStrasburg. On the 19th, marched through Strasburg and 
three miles beyond, when it was learned that Jackson had burned the bridge 
at Cedar creek. Returned to within one mile of Strasl)urg, and on the 20th, 
our troops took up the march for Winchester, covering the distance, twenty-one 
miles, through mud and rain without a halt, and reaching Camp Kimball at 
8 p. m. 

Banks now supposed that Jackson had departed with his army from the valley, 
and, in that belief, moved all his force, with the exception of Shields" Division, 
east of the Blue Ridge, and, on the morning of the 22d, himself started for Wash- 
ington. Only a few hours later, 4 p. m., and Ash^y's artiller3Mnade known to 
Shields that Jackson had returned. Shields immediately advanced a part of 
his division, commanding in person, with orders to Kimball, whose brigade in- 
cluded the Eighty -fourth, to follow with the remainder to a point on the pike 
two miles south of Winchester. It was at 4.30 when the regiment received 
orders to " fall in." Shields was brought back wounded, having been struck 
by a piece of shell. This placed Kimball in immediate command on the field, 
though Shields, from his quarters in the rear, continued through the remainder 
of this and the following day to receive information of the situation, and, as 
far as he possibh' could, direct the course to be taken. Between five and six 
o'clock the regiment was ordered to the side of the road and there laid through 
the night. At the close of the day Jackson's whole Ibrce was about half way 
between Winchester and Kernstown. Again the error was committed iu sup- 
posing that Jackson was out of the way. 

On the morning of Sunday the 23d, the regiment was ordered into camp on 
the left of the Kernstown road, and it was while Colonel Murraj' was engaged 
in laying out the ground, word came that a battle was at hand, and immedi- 
ately the order was given to '' fall in." The artillery- lire oi)eiied about eleven 
o'clock. The regiment was ordered to take position on the extreme right of 
the division line, and about 2 p. m. was ordered to tlie center in support of 
Clark's Regular and Robinson's Ohio batteries. The attack on the left of the 
division at this time was successfully met by Sullivan's Brigade. After this 
repulse, Jackson's attention was directed to our right. Passing his troops along 
our front, under cover of the woods, he took a position commanding the right 
of the division and with a view to turning that flank and getting to our rear. 
To aid in this movement, with his men well protected, he started a furious fire 
from his guns at a distance of half a mile. About 4 o'clock the order came 
from Kimball to Murray to charge straight up to the battery and take it if pos- 
sible. The ))lace of the battery was the very key to the enemy's position. That 
hour, near the close of that March day. the 23d, made for the Eighty-fourth 



PeniiHylvania at Gettyshurg. 449 

Pennsylvania a reputation which was never for a moment blurnul in any ot" its 
after course. The regiment equaled itself on other fields, at other times, l)ut 
it never could have had the opportunity to surpass the gallantry, the true 
bravery, the manly courage, the noble heroism, the devotion to country, dis- 
played at Winchester, its first battle. 

As it did then so did it always. Wlierever ordered to go it went. Through 
forest, across open field, was no matter in the execution of the order to go. Its 
soldiers never stopped to estimate the probable result. Casualties were noted 
only after the battle, when they went upon the roll asunaltera))le fact. On this 
day, over the intervening space, went the regiment, and Murray with it. No 
doubt, then, of the moral worth of their commander. No waver of thought 
then as to the true courageof their leader. But for one moment following upon 
the contest, in which for officers and men to have spoken to him the word which 
would have been their every assurance, that in the sure test of a soldier he had 
proved himself all that could have been asked for, and more. But time, this 
.side, with him, had stopped, ere the regiment cros.sed the line of its victory. 
Where the regiment Avas to strike his line, the enemy was in strong position 
on the edge of a wood, behind natural breastworks of rocks and hillocks, and 
with two hundred yards of open space to his front. 

The moment the order to charge was received, the regiment started oft' by 
the flank, the pioneer corps in the advance to take down fences. Down the 
hill, over the meadow ground and through the w-oods to the opening, all the 
time exposed to the rebel artillery fire. Unsupported on either flank, the regi- 
ment pressed forward in line, up the slope, two-thirds of the distance acro.ss the 
open space, and halted just before reaching the toji. 

Colonel Murray knew- that the regiment could not stay where it was. To 
his adjutant he said: "We cannot hold this place: we must either advance or 
retreat, and we will not retreat." 

Both his field officers were absent. His horse had been killed, as liad also 
that of his adjutant, and he was now dismounted. Waiting only long enough 
for his adjutant to make known his purpose to the company commanders, Mur- 
ray gave the order to "charge ! " Promptly the order -was obeyed, and he 
and his regiment were well on the way, when he fell, without a word, in- 
stantly killed, his forehead pierced by a ball, seemingly gnided in its course by 
the flash of the figures eight and four upon his cap, through which the bullet 
crashed on its way to claim the life which thus far had led the regiment that 
was to turn the tide. Inspired as the}' were by so noble an example, even .so 
great a loss, at so critical a moment, did not stop the regiment in its course. 

Without a field officer, on they went, until within twenty paces, or less, of 
that well-protected line, and there stood, firing and receiving the greater fire, 
never thinking to go back, not knowing but that they were there to stay, either 
.as .soldiers fighting in the ranks, or lying, lielpless. cheering their comrades 
on — or dead. 

The Fonrteenth Indiana coming up, aided in forcing the enemy's line, and 
Tyler's Brigade having Ibrced the line behind the stone fence in their front, 
the battle was over. The enemy was pursued a mile or more, and under cover 
of night Jackson started his whole army, which before morning vvsis in full re- 
treat up the valley, leaving the victory of Winchester to Shields' Division. 

The Eighty-fourth numbered two hundred and fifty in the battle. At its 
close it numbered ninety-two less. Three officers and eighteen men killed. 
29 



450 Pennsylvania at (rettt/sbur(j. 

Two olli(.'(!is and .sixty-niue men wounded. Captain (iallagliLT. Company E, 
and Lieutenant Keem, Company A, were among the killed. 

The aceount of the battle in the New York World, as reported by its cone.s- 
pondeut, contained the Collowing: 

The Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania suffered more tluui any other. This regiment, of 
which there were only three hundred engaged [proper number two hundred and fil'tj- 
live], lost twent3--three killed and sixty-three wonnded from the bullets of the enemy, 
among them Colonel Murray. 

In "General Ordei- No. riO, Harrisburg, Ajiril 4, 18()3, " Governor C'urtin 
spoke as follows: 

The example of the gallant Colonel Murray, of the Eighty -fourth, who fell at the head 
t)f his regiment in the condict at Winchester, with that of the noble men of his com- 
mand, who there gave their lives a willing sacrifice to their country, must stimulate all 
who have enlisted in the service to increased devotion, while their memory will be 
cherished by every ]>atriot and add honor to the arms of Pennsylvania and the Union. 

On the day after Winchester, Banks with part of his corps went past in pur- 
suit of the enemy, now on their way up the valley. 

On the 25th, the regiment marclied to Cedar Creek and return, twenty-four 
miles. On the 2(}th, detail ordered to bury the dead. On the 27th, marched 
twelve miles to P.erryville, arriving at 1 o'clock, and the regiment assigned to 
provost duty. 

On April o, General Jianks was assigneil by the War Department to the com- 
mand of the Department of the Shenandoah, and General McDowell to the De- 
partment of the Jiappahannock. 

Lieutenant-Colonel MacDowell joined the regiment, for the first time, at 
Berryville, but remained only a short time, owingto the condition of his health. 

On April 22, the regiment went from Berryville to Winchester, arriving at 
.") p. m. Order of General Shields, congratulating the troops on their bravery 
at Winchester, was read. (Jeneral Bleuker, passing through Winchester with 
his (command, pers(mally complimented the Eighty-fourth for the part taken 
in the l)attle. 

On May 4, regiment oidered to join the division as soon as relieved, and on 
the 10th, relieved 1)y live companies of the Tenth ISIaine. The regiment was 
now a i)art of the I'-ourth Brigade, Second Division, old Filth Corps. On the 
lltli. started at 11 a. m. and marched to Cedar Creek, tifteen miles. On the 
12th, started at .^ a. ni. and moved four miles to west of Strasburg. On the 
i:>th, 2 J), m.. mo veil from Strasburg to Middletown, six miles, arriving at G p. 
m. On th<; 14th, (! a. ni.. to Front h'oyal, fording the Shenandoah, twelve 
miles. (Quartered in rebel hospital. On the loth, Avhole of Shields' Division 
at Middletown. On \\\i-. Kith, nuirched with the supply train over the Blue 
Kidge, ten miles, toward Warrenton, .stopping a1 (i ]). m. On the 17th, marched 
from (j a. m. to (i p. m.. fifteen miles. On the ISth, (i a. m. passing through 
Warrenton; stoi)ped at (> p. ni., twelve miles. On the l!)th, 6 a. m., arrived at 
Duryea's camp 11 a. n\.. nIx miles. < >ii ilit^ 2(tth, at Catlett's Station. On the 
21st, 6 a. m., eighteen miles. 22d, (> a. m.. fourteen miles, stopping at ^ p. m. 
Went into cami> opposite Fredericksburg. 23d, j)or1i()n of army reviewed l)y 
I'resident Lincoln. Eighty-fourth not in review. 

As soon as Lee learned ol'tlic withdrawal <il Shields' Division iVom the \ al- 
ley, he .started .lackson after Banks. Kwell and .Jackson, combined, numbered 
over twenty thousand. Banks had about four tlKtnsand men. The first at- 
tack was at Winchester, (n\ i\w 2'A\\. and Banks was i)ressed. without regard 
to convenience of movement, until he w:is ovei- tlie I'otomac. 



PennsyJrarn'a af (r<if//,sh2irg. 451 

Shields" Division liad heeii in iVont ol' Fr('(l('rii-ksl)urg but three clays, whei), 
on the 25th, at ;> p. ni., they were again on Ihe march back to the valley, to 
stop the new trouble; eight miles covered the tirst diy. Ou th«! 2Gth. (I a. m., 
twenty-two miles, to within one mile of Catlett's Station, arriving at 10 p. 
m. On the 37th. (•hanged position, two miles. On the 38th, twelve miles to 
Haymarket. On the 2})th, (i a. m.. tifteen miles to Rectortown, pitched tents, 
and at 7 p. m. started lor I'rout Koyal, marched all night, and leached there G 
p. m. Ou the 30th, the Louisiana and Oeorgia troops had been driven out 
through the day by Colonel Nelson's Khode Island Cavalry. On the 31st, 2 p. 
m., went four miles out ou the Winchester j)ike, skirmishing with the enemy, 
accompanied by two pieces of artillery. 

By this time Jackson was aware of the situation, which he had not appre- 
hended when he was bent on routing Banks. He now realized that Banks was 
))eyoud capture and safe; that he must leave the Potomac to his rear; that iu 
so doing Banks would have the advantage of ijursuing a retreating column; 
that on his retreat he would probably run against Fremont, and could not 
evade Shields. He knew that he had but one; way to go. He knew there was 
but one way of escape, and that over the bridge at Port Republic. 

June 1, Shields' Division took up its part of the programme and went ten miles 
toward Luray, and on the 2d, fifteen miles further iu the same direction. On 
the 4th, arrived at Columbia bridge, near Lvrray. On the the 5th and 6th, re- 
mained at Columbia bridge, and on the 7th, marched during the night, reach- 
ing Port Republic on the morning of the 8th. 

The advance of Fremont's forces had struck the rear guard ot' Jackson, in re- 
treat, on the 1st, five miles from Stnisburg, which liroughton skirmishing, and 
on the 7th, four miles beyond Harrisonburg, a fight took place between the 
advance of Fremont's Corps and Jack.son's rear guard, and on the 8th was 
Ibught the battle of Cross Keys, between Fremont's Corps and Jackson's troops, 
lasting from 1 1 a. m. till 4 p. m. 

Thus far the Massanutten Mountains had separated Jackson and his immedi- 
ate pursuers from Shields. This mountain range stops just before reaching 
Port Republic. The only troops in the town were the four regiments of Car- 
loll's Brigade, First Virginia, Seventh Indiana, Eighty-fourth and One hun- 
dred and tenth Pennsylvania, about sixteen hundred strong. 

■' .\t this point, '" read the orders to General Shields, ""you will intercept Jack- 
son and cut off his retreat." With the bridge standing, Carroll's force, or even 
the entire division, would be a mere handful against the toe now almost at 
hand. The efi'ectual cut-oft" would haxe been the destruction of the bridge, and 
had there been but one man there, in place of a brigade, he would have de- 
stroyed it. Did Shields order Carroll to l)urn the bridge '.•' And, if so. did 
Carroll think it would be more .soldierly to right the whole rebel army '/ 

Whatever the answer, the fact remains that the bridge was not burned. 
When the attempt was made it was too late. Over the bridge was Jackson"s 
only way ot" escape from Fremont. When he fottnd Carroll there he moved up 
his advance, under cover of the night, quietly posted twenty guns where they 
would command the way over the river, and opened them at daylight. Tlie 
rire was too much to .stand again.st, and over the bridge came Jackson's cavalry, 
followed by his columns of infantry, and having forced our .small command 
back the Luray valley to Conrad "s store, and burned the bridge to avoid l"ur- 
ther trouble with Fremont, he had a good free road to Richmond, \\liere he 
met with a cordial welcojne from Lee. 



452 Peniisylvania at Gettysburg. 

The loss of one hundred and twenty-four killed and two hundred and ninety- 
two wounded showed the disposition of Carroll's Brigade to fight, as also the 
character of the rebel fire, and the five hundred and fourteen prisoners testified 
to the character of the pursuit in getting Carroll out of the way. 

Ewell was liberal enough to concede three Confederates to one National, in 
number, and voluntarily said, " It Avas a most gallant fight on the part of the 
latter." The regiment lost one man killed and ten wounded. 

On the loth. Shields' Division reached Luray, and on the 15th, was again at 
Front Royal. On the 18th, at Manassas Junction, and on the 25th, arrived at 
Camp Pope, near Alexandria. On the 26th, by order of the President, the forces 
under Fremont, Banks and McDowell were constituted the ' ' Army of Virginia, ' " 
Pope in command, Fremont assigned to the First Corps, Banks the Second, and 
McDowell the Third. Fremont withdrew from the service because thus made 
sulwrdiuate to au officer whose commission post-dated his own. The career of 
Shields' Division, as such, was now ended, the First and Second Brigades being 
sent to McClellan on the Peninsula. Carroll's Brigade was now to be a part 
of Eicketts' Division, McDowell's Corps. 

A glance at the map, with a view to locating the places to which reference 
has been made by name, will make clear the importance of the work in which 
the Eighty-fourth was engaged thus early in its career. It will also make plain 
that all of danger to Washington did not lie across the Long bridge. 

Length of consideration is not needed to incline to the opinion that Jackson, in 
Maryland and Pennsylvania, in the early days of '62, would have produced a 
feeling throughout the North not calculated to lessen the weight of the conflict. 
Operations by other troops in the eastern part of Virginia would have been 
impossible had Jackson overcome the forces in the valley. Against him Shields' 
Division played an effective part. It was Shields' Division, and not the "other 
fellows," that Jackson's men least desired to meet. 

At the time of McClellan's Peninsular campaign, the people did not under- 
stand the situation about Winchester and other points in the valley, and have 
not cared to learn it since. 

It was well for Pennsylvania, it was well for the Union, that the fiat against 
Shields had not gone forth before June of '62. He was the first to strike Jack- 
son Avith defeat, and no one did it afterward. This noble division of Shields' 
marched promptly and fought Avell, and therein they had, and have, their com- 
pensation, without being sung in lines of rhyme, or spoken in the pages of story. 

On the 21st of June, Samuel M. Bowman, late major P"'ourth Illinois Cavalry, 
was commi.ssioned, and on the 25th mustered, (a)lonel of the Eighth-fourth. 
Major Barrett was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, MacDowell having been 
discharged for disability in July. And Adjutant Craig was promoted to the 
majority. 

Immediately upon his arrival at the regiment, Colonel Bowman determined to 
add to the effective strength of the command by sending recruiting parties t« 
several localities in Pennsylvania, and also by securing the active interest of 
citizens of the State who were not then in the service. 

While at Camj) I'ope the requisite details were made, and while numbers at 
home were thus l)eing added to the rolls, the regiment continued its active 
service in the field, marching out from Cam]) I'ope, in July, to join Pope's 
army, which was always to "look before, and not behind," and which was to 
" subsist upon the country in which their operations were carried on." 



Pennsylvania at (xeJtyshurg. 453 

While McClellan was moving against the capital of the Conledcracy, it was 
Pope's part to keep secure the capital oi" the Union. 

On August 9, was fought the battle of Cedar Mountain, in which the Eiglity- 
fourth was not directly engaged, excepting as a reserve force. The official record 
gives one officer and eight men wounded from the rebel fire of shot and shell 
after dark. Following upon the battle the rebel force, numbering about 25,- 
000, retreated across the Rapidan, Pope ))ursuing and occupying the north side 
of the river. 

While at this point, the regiment, for the first time, placed ten companies in 
line. " H "' Company had been recruited during the spring and early summer, 
and left Camp Curtin, under orders to join the regiment on the 14th, arriving 
on the 16th. 

Pope did not remain in this position long. At this period of the war, it was 
looked upon at the North as the worst of generalship to permit any rebel troops 
to get between our forces and the seat of government, and it was well-known 
on the other side that any movement that threatened such a condition would 
cause the quick packing of the tents and the immediate tramp of whatever 
Union force was charged with the protection ot the capital. Later on came a 
change in this regard. Jackson threatened Washington by starting a movement 
to Pope's rear, passing around his right flank. 

On the 19tb, commenced Pope's backward march. On the 21st, Pope was 
safely across the Rappahannock, and immediately Jackson was along the south 
side of the river. Raj)pahannock Station was the central river point, the line 
stretching fifteen miles. 

In '62, an ordinary river stemmed the current of pursuit more eftectually 
than it did in '64. 

On the 22d, the rebel cavalry struck Catlett's Station, and on the 33d, tlie 
bridge across the Rappanannock was burned, and the station abandoned by Pope. 

On the 28th, Ricketts' Division was at Thoroughfare Gap, sent there to check 
the advance of Longstreet's Corps on its way to join Jack.son at Manassas. It 
will be noticed that McClellan's failure in front of Richmond had become a fixed 
fact before this movement of Jackson's was determined upon, and now Lee's 
troops at Richmond were relieved from pressiire. The march to the gap was 
too late for effective service and, on the same night, Ricketts marched his di- 
vision from Thoroughfare Gap to join the main army. 

On the 29th, the regiment, with the division, was on the right flank of the 
army, at Groveton. 

On the morning of the 30th, the second day of the l)attle, the regiment was 
exposed to a severe fire of grape and canister. In the afternoon, Ricketts' Di- 
vision was attacked by the enemy with masses of troops, but held its part well 
until ordered back by Pope about 7 p. m., after the final break along the Union 
line. 

From that part of the line which has been so successfully held during the 
latter half of the day, and night being yet an hour olf, there was afforded a clear 
view of flying artillery and flying infantry, all moving to a common center — 
Centerville. 

While it was not strictly a walk, yet, in view of the situation, in good order 
the regiment went back about a mile and took position, with other regiments 
of the brigade in an open field, in fact facing the enemy, yet not knowing whom 
we faced. Here occurred the incident which almost (a minute of time made 



454 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

the diflerenee) disposed ol" the Eighty-fourth. Just daylight enougli left to dis- 
cern a line, a full brigade front, advanc-ing, yet not enough to distinguish the 
color of the uniform, or to make sure the tiag. On they came, a perfect line, 
marching as if on review. "Who are you?"' thrice repeated, brought no re- 
sponse. Not a word was spoken in their ranks, but on they came. A few 
minutes liefoie, Lieutenant Nixon liad been ordered to jxist a detail of pickets, 
but had not had time to go out. " I will learn who they are," said Nixon. 
Twenty -five stej^s to the front, and he was half way. Then came from him the 
words which .seem to .sound upon my ear every time the incident occurs to me. 
'■ They are the enemy, boys !" And then, for it was dark now, upon the in- 
stant was seen that tiash of light along the whole line of that rebel brigade. I 
see it now as I saw it then. With the flash came the whir of the thousands 
of bullets, but the darkness in the aim saved the objects for which they were 
intended. The tire was the vengeance of the failure to capture. Night being 
fully on, our small force had accomplished all that it had been left on the field 
for — the checking of pursuit — and was now not long in getting to the Center- 
ville side of Bull Run. 

On the night of September 1, the regiment was at Fairfax Station. 

On September 2, back to the defenses of Washington, a part of the Second 
Brigade, Third Division, Third Corps. At first in camp at Alexandria. Then 
a long march on the Virginia side, across the Potomac, on through Georgetown, 
and back, locating on Arlington Heights, where the regiment awaited the three 
hundred and fifty recruits, the outcome of Colonel Bowman's eflbrts inaugurated 
at Camp Pope. Some were received in small detachments, others as orga- 
nized companies, places being provided by the consolidation of old companies, 
or as partial organizations, and placed with old companies. This was the more 
readily accomplished, owing to the retirement of many of the old line officers. 
Of the twenty -seven line officers mustered in with the regiment, two, Gallaghei- 
and Reem, had been killed, twenty had resigned before the end of 1862, leaving 
only five — Bryan, Opp, Zinn, Peterman and Ingram. Of the original field 
officers, Murray oidy had done active service, and he had been killed. Mac- 
Dowell, lieutenant-colonel, had been discharged for disability, in July. Barrett 
had been promoted lieutenant-colonel, and resigned in September. Adjutant 
Craig had l)een promoted major and lieutenant-colonel, and resigned. None of 
the field officers left, the adjutant gone, and not one of the original captains of 
companies remaining. Of the five line officers remaining, Opp, Bryan and In- 
gram had entered the service as first lieutenants, and Zinn and Peterman as 
second lieutenants. 

Opp obtained the rank of lieutenant-colonel, in coiuiuand ol'the regiment, 
and was mortally wounded at the Wihh'rness. Bryan became major, and Zinn 
rose to the rank of colonel, with the brevet of brigadier-general. Peterman be- 
came captain and was killed at Chancellorsvillc. Ingram resigned in tlie early 
part of 18«3. 

Of all the original officers, field, staff and line, only two, Zinn and Bryan, 
.served with the regiment until the clo.se of the war, and thej^ are still among 
us. Of the after line oflicers, thirty-two were promotions from the ranks, and 
also two of the three adjutants. Fribley to second lieutenant, first lieutenant 
and captain of the Eighty-fourtli, and colonel Eighth U. S. Colored Troops. 
Dougherty, Steinman, Farley, Nixon, Samp.son and Rissel, to second lieutenant, 
lir.st lieutenant and captain. Delehunt and Lamberton to .second lieutenant 



Pennsylvania at Getit/sinuy. 455 

and captain. Thornton to first lieutenant and captain. Mather to adjutant. 
Merchant to .second lieutenant, fir.st lieutenant and adjutant, with the l)revet 
of captain. Mummey, Wells and I.arish to first lieutenant. Smith, Mitchell, 
Lewis, Taylor, Jury and Ferguson to second lieutenant and first lieutenant. 
Gwinu, Wingate, Piper, Moore, Hays, McMaster. Wolf. Ilursh. Wilson. Wei- 
densall and Davidson, to second lieutenant. 

As newly organized, "C" Company was eousolidated with .V, and the new 
company from Westmoreland county, Captain Logan and Lieutenant Wirsing, 
took the place of the original C Company. B Company received recruits under 
Lieutenant Young. D Company received recruits under Lieutenant Hunter. 
Lieutenant Zinn, B Company, was commissioned captain of D. A company, of 
about seventy men, under Captain Dobbhis and Lieutenant Johnson, was added 
to E, Lieutenant Steinman, of the old organization, remaining. F Company 
was added to by recruits under Lieutenant Forrester. G Company received 
recruits under Captain Piatt and Lieutenant Brindle. H Company received 
recruits under Lieutenant Jackson. Many of the old men of I Company were 
transferred to K, and I Companj- reorganized by a large detachment under Cap- 
tain Comfort and Lieutenant Ross. K Company was materially strengthened 
by the transfeis from I. 

In the latter part of October the regiment left its camp at Arlington Heights, 
and joined the armj' under McClellan at Berlin, still constituting a part of 
Carroll's Brigade, which had been assigned to Whipple's Independent Division. 

On November 7, by order from the War Department, McClellan was relieved 
from the command of the Army of the Potomac, and succeeded by Major-Gen- 
eral Burnside. 

On November 17, the advance of the army arrived at Falmouth, opposite 
Fredericksburg, and again the whole army was confronting Lee. 

On December 11, Frederick.sburg was subjected to a heavy artillery fire, to 
cover the laying of a pontoon bridge. 

The battle of Frederick.sburg was Ibught on the 13th, the rebel troops hav- 
ing been forced out of the town to their fortifications on the heights in the rear. 
The regiment was severely engaged. General Griffin called on Whipple for 
Carroll's Brigade, and it was promptly moved up through the town under fire 
of shot and shell. Stopping in a cut of the Richmond railroad, then climbing 
the steep embankment, the brigade rushed on and was .soon at the very front. 
Two companies went on in advance of the line of battle and had to be recalled. 
During the night the enemy attempted to force the part of the line occupied 
by the Eighty-fourth and One hundred and tenth Pennsylvania, but was re- 
puLsed. Seven men killed and twenty-four wounded. 

Colonel Bowman, Eighty-iburth, and Lieutenant-Colonel Crowther, One hun- 
dred and tenth, were specially mentioned in the brigade commander's report. 

After the battle, the regiment went into camp at Stoneman's switch on the 
Falmouth and Aquia Creek railroad, aboyt two miles from Falmouth. 

In the meantime, on the 1st of October, 1862, Captain Oi)p had been pro- 
moted major, and, on December 23, Lieutenant-Colonel Barrett and Craig 
having both re.signed, Captain Zinn was promoted major, October 2. 

On January 18, 1863, Sergeant blather. Compan}^ B. was promoted adjutant. 

On January 19, Burnside started the army for a second attempt on Freder- 
icksburg, but the heavy rain converted the movement into a " Mud March," 
and it was abandoned. 



456 Pennsylvania at Gettyshurg. 

Tlie outcome ol" Deieinbcr 13 aud January 19, was tlie removal of Burnside, 
on Jauuur}' 2(3, Ironi the command of the army, aud the substitution of Major- 
General Hooker. These were experimental days, and rotation in office of C()ri)s 
and army commanders largely practiced, but tlie experiments were harsh in- 
deed to the boys wlio did the tramping aud tlie tigliting. 

On February 5, by order of General Hooker, the Army of the Potomac was 
reorganized, aud Reynolds assigned to the command of the First Corps; Couch, 
the Second ; Sickles, the Third ; Meade, the Fifth ; Sedgwick, the Sixth ; How- 
ard, the Eleventh, and Slocum, the Twelfth; the cavalry under Stoneman. 

The Eighty-fourth and One hundred and tenth Pennsylvania and Twelfth 
New Hampshire constituted the Second Brigade, Third Division, Third Corps, 
with Bowman commanding. Lieutenant-Colonel Opp in command of the regi- 
ment. Picketing along the Pappahannock, by details of regiments, was the 
principal duty from .January to April "29. when the army Ijroke camp and 
started on a campaign intended to be brief, but sharp and decisive, fruitful of 
great and important results. It was Hooker's plan, most intelligently con- 
ceived and thorough in its details. Without Jack.son on the other side, it 
would have gone down in history as the battle of the war, and Hooker would 
have been the lieutenant-general. No rebel army would thereafter have crossed 
the Potomac to make a Gettysburg. The Gettysburg of the war would have 
been on Southern soil. 

The regiment pai'ticipated in the feint to the lel"t of Fredericksburg, and on 
the 1st of May moved toward Chancellorsville. the place of the campaign, cross- 
ing the Rappahannock at United States Ford. 

On the 2d, late in the afternoon, Sickles was orilered to send two divisions, 
the Second and Third, in the direction of the old furnace, to cut off the march 
of rebel troops toward the right of our line. Jackson, however, as was his cus- 
tom, had alreadj' passed by aud out of the way, excepting a regiment, which 
was captured. While two-thirds of Sickles' Corps Avas in this exposed posi- 
tion, .Jackson literally fell on the Eleventh Corps, away to the right of the 
Union line, at a time when the whole ot that corps was lying in supposed se- 
<-urity, doubled it up, and in this way substituted the field plan of Lee for the 
camp study of Hooker; and Chancellorsville was become a ground to fight on 
but not a place of victory. In the words of that memorable order, the " enemy 
was in a bag." But where was the string? However, there was virtue in 
the situation, in that it furnished the grandest test that could have been pre- 
.sented to the Armj' of the Potomac. Most fully defeated, yet not alarmed. 
Line broken, yet not pursued. Hooker's army was a body of positive .soldiery. 
who knew not on that 2d of May, nor until well back on sure ground, how 
n(;arly Lee had gained what Hooker .started out to accomplish. Back from llic 
old furnace came the two divisions of Sickles', while Keenaii, with his battal- 
ion of cavalry, held the whole rebel force, to make time for the ])lanting of the 
guns, and lessen the time for the falling of the night, which was to l)e the safe- 
guard of our army. 

The next morning found our brigade too far out, and where it would not 
have remained through the night had its position aud number been known ta 
the occupants of the woods along the line of which it was jjosted. The brigade 
wasdra\>'u back in the direction of the Chancellor House, and put behind a 
.short line of light breastworks, in an isolated position, without any support to 
the right or left. We had l»een clo.sely followed in our withdrawal of the moru- 



Pennsylvania at (Teiti/shurfj. 457 

ing, and were now luvnl pressed by the enemy forcing in npon our front, while 
a large force could be seen moving some distance on our left, which, within a 
half-hour, coming through the woods and over the rise to our rear, were imme- 
diately at our back before their coming was known. 

For some time, such of the Union troops as could be seen from the position 
occupied by the regiment, had been giving way aud falling l)ack to the protec- 
tion of the numerous guns posted in front of the Chancellor House, and which 
had not yet opened lire. The Union line did not seem to be holding anywhere. 
The killed and wounded of the regiment had been added to at every lire. 
Pres-sed to the front and rear by forces too large to contend with, with one flank 
closed and the other nearly so. it was now only the question of escape or 
capture. 

When the colors of the regiTuent were planted behind the inner works, twice 
the fingers of the hands counted the total (jf the officers and men who stood 
with them. 

Out of three hundred and ninety-one. one officer. I'eterman, captain of Com- 
pany K, and five men had 1)een killed; five officers and fifty-four men wounded, 
and one hundred and fifty-four captured and missing. General Whipple was 
killed just to the right of the regiment, on the 4th. 

On the night of the .4th, rain came down in a flood, so that the Rappahannock 
was much swollen. About midnight, Hooker's army commenced crossing to 
the north side, and, by the night of the 5th, all were back on the old camp 
ground. Many of the dead had been left on the field where they fell, and many 
of the wounded left to rebel care. Death had come to .some of the wounded 
from the fire in the woods, caused by the shelling on the Md. The great lo.ss 
to the rebel side came a few days after, in the death of Jackson, who had been 
mortally wounded on the night of the 2d. 

Following on Chancellorsville, owing to the death of Whipple and the num- 
erous casualties, the division was broken u]) and the regiments assigned to 
other commands. 

The Eighty-fourth and One hundred and tenth had been together up to this 
time, but from now on were to be parted. The Eighty-fourth went to the First 
Brigade (Can's i. Second Division (Humphreys'), and the One hundred and 
tenth to the Third Brigade, First Division. 

In the early part of June, it became clear that the officials of the Confederacy 
were so much encouraged by the result of Hooker's campaign, that they had 
determined upon sending Lee into Pennsylvania. A reconnaissance by the 
cavalry under Buford and Gregg, south of the Rappahannock, delayed Lee for 
a few days. As soon as it was known that Lee was on the way, the people of 
Pennsylvania felt what the con.sequence could be, and feared whatit might be. 
The State was divided into two military districts. The Department of the 
Monongahela, west of the Laurel Ridge mountains, was commanded by Gen- 
eral Brooks, headquarters, Pittsburg; and the Department of the Susquehanna 
by General Couch, headquarters, Cham1)ersburg. 

On June 14, Milroy was forced out of Winchester, leaving behind siege guns, 
eight field jiieces, six thousand muskets, ammunition and stores. 

June \'}, the President called on Maryland and West Virginia for ten thou.s- 
and militia, each; Ohio for thirty thousand, and Pennsylvania for fifty thou- 
sand, for six months' service. 

June 16, Jenkins' rebel cavalry, nine hundred and fifty strong, occupied 



458 Pennsylvania (it Getty simrg. 

Chunibersbiirg, and withdrew on the 18th. 19th, portion of liodcs' relxd 
cavalry entered McConnelsburg and sacked the town. 21st, Pleasonton drove 
Stuart beyond Middleljnrg, through Upperville and Ashby's Gap. 2;}d, rebel 
forces again occupied Chanibersburg, tlie Union troops in the town falling back. 
26th, rebel advance reached Carlisle, the militia under General Knipe retiring. 

Lee's forces were Avell under way down the valley when Hooker took down 
his tents opposite Fredericksburg. From the start to the finish it was a race, 
but not from the foe. There were no obstacles worth the mention for Lee to 
encounter, none for Hooker. Lee went upon that side of the mountain. Hooker 
u])()u this. Across the Potomac went Lee, and across the Potomac came Hooker, 
at different points. 

The Arm}^ of the Potomac had marched before, but never before, nor after, as 
it did through the night alter crossing into Maryland. Along the tow-path, 
dark, wet and slippery ; strength all gone, and the muscles expanding simply 
to get rid of the contraction. 

Such was the character of the march, that at times the nearest comrade on 
the walk would not he within ten paces to the front or rear. What had been 
lost at the start must now be made up. for Lee was well on toward every Penn- 
sylvania soldier's home. 

On Juue 28, at Frederick, Maryland, the order was promulgated assigning 
Major-General Meade to the command of the Army of the Potomac, and Hooker 
thereby relieved. 

On the night of Jirue HO, at Taneytown, came the order detailing the regi- 
ment to guard the supply train. The next morning, Colonel Opp, knowing 
that his men were averse to such duty, made special request of the brigade com- 
mander to revoke the order, but without success. 

July 1, started with the train, which was then moving with the column from 
Taneytown on the road to Emmitsburg, and while on the way word came that 
the cavalry and the First Corps had encountered Lee at Getty.sburg, and that 
Eeynolds liad been killed. Immediately following this announcement came 
the order for the supply trains to report at Westminster. The supply trains 
were an important factor in army organization. They did good service in tlie 
camp, along the march and on the field. Without them even Gettysburg would 
not have been a field of monuments. At least twenty regiments of the Army 
of the Potomac did guard duty with the trains on the 1st, 2d and 3d of July, 
1863. That duty was quite as necessary of performance, fully as important, 
carrying with it as much of possible danger, as was actually encountered by 
rcgin\ents engaged on the field, and as much of actual danger as did not fall to 
the lot of several of the regiments who were no more on the field than were the 
troops with the trains, and which legiments wrote (iettysburg on their battle- 
Hags without a (juestiou as to its being rightly there. 

When the State of Peunsylvania placed upon her statute; books the act that 
gave to every I'ennsylvania command having a part in the Battle of Gettysburg 
a memorial stone, I had no doubt as to the Eighty-tburtli coming within the 
terms of the act, and no doubt as to the duty of its soldiers to see that its mon- 
ument was placed. 

The regiment had been, fiom the time of its entry into the service, a part of 
the Army of the Potomac, even belbre all the troops in Virginia were so desig- 
nated, and continued to lie till the end of the Avar. Failure of recognition under 
this law of the Commonwealth as a part of the Army of the Potomac, would 



Penn.syfvayiia at Gettyshunj. 459 

have left tlie regiment unrecordetl to the world as of any army np to and in- 
cluding the time of Gettysburg. But comment of our own is unecessary. The 
statement of General Carr, the brigade commander, covers all i>oints, and, com- 
ing from an individual thoroughly competent to iiaiss judgment, and yet free 
from the slightest degree of interest that might possibly induce bias, ought to, 
and does, answer all question and resolve all doubt. 

(The loUowiug letter was written by General Carr in response to a communi- 
<;ation asking simply lor a statement by him of the duty on which the regiment 
was ordered in connection with the Battle of Gettysburg. 

The tribute thus tendered to the regiment not only evidences the high regard 
had by General Carr for the officers and men of the Eighty-fourth, but is in- 
dicative of the feeling entertained and expressed by Shields, Carroll, Ricketts, 
Whipple, Pierce, Mott and other general officers, in whose immediate command 
the regiment was placed between October, '61 and July, '65. \ 

Office of American Chain (^able Works, 

Troy, N. Y., October '^S, 1887. 

General John P. Taylor, President, 

Board of Comissionerg Qetty^hunj Moniuneiits, Philadelphia, Pa.: 

Sir: — I have the honor to present the following' statement, in reference to the part 
taken by the Eighty-fourth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Gettysburg cam- 
paign. 

The Eighth-fourth Regiment was in the First Brigade, Second Division, Third Corps, 
Army of the Potomac, during the movements of that army from Fredericksburg, Vir- 
ginia, to Emmitsburg, Maryland. On the raornmg of the 1st July, the regiment was 
detailed by an order from headquarters to guard the supply train that was theu located 
between Emmitsburg and Gettysburg. The regiment remained on duty with the train 
until relieved by another regiment, on the 6th July, when it reported to me for duty 
while at Williamsport. 

The duty performed by the Eighty-fourth Regiment during the three days' tighting 
was as essential and important as that of any other regiment of my command ; it was 
a duty they were ordered to perform over which they had no control, but as good sol- 
diers obeyed the command. When Colonel Opp received the order he sent his adjutant- 
Lieutenant Mather, to me with a request to have the order rescinded, which of course 
was not granted. 

The Eighty-fourth Regiment was one of my best and most reliable commands. The 
officers and men were always ready and wiliing to do their duty. 

To deprive this regiment of the recognition it is entitled to, upon that memorable 
battle-field, would, in my opinion, be a very great injustice. I would respectfully sug- 
gest that the monument be erected at a point near where my headquarters were, pre- 
vious to the second days' engagement. It was near the Emmitsburg road, directly in 
front of the Roger's House, as you will see upon the map of the field. The inscription 
should state the whereabouts of the regiment on the 1st, 2d and 3d of July, 186:3, and 
rhe actual duty it was performing. 

I am, very respectfully, 

Joseph B. Cark. 

This statement is a monument in itself. No regiment ever received, or could 
have had, more emphatic endorsement of its service. 

The State Commission on Gettysburg monuments had no doubt of the full 
right of the Eighty-lburth to participate with all other Pennsylvania regiments 
that took part in the battle of Gettysburg, and promptly said so. 

On the night of the 4th, the regiment was ordered from Westminster to re- 
join the brigade, and reported to General Carr on the 6th. 

While at Westminster, there was constant apprehension of attack ))y rebel 
cavalry, and the picket guards were under strict orders to be continually on 
the alert to avoid surprise. 



460 l^ennsylvania at (rettysburg. 

During the night oi the l:>th :incl the morning ol' the 14th Lee crossed }iis 
army over the Potomac at Willianisport, closely followed by the Union cavalry, 
the advan(;e of the Army of the Potomac, 

On July 24, the regiment took part in clearing the gap atWapping Heights, 
the rebels contesting every step until forced into the valley, when they went 
on a run, and we returned through the gap to rejoin the column. The return 
was much like the going, excepting that there was not the necessity for haste, 
and with this difterence of feeling. The rebel army had started north elated 
b\^ Chancellorsville; it returned depressed by Gettysburg. The Union army 
had not been depressed by Chancellorsville (it never wac by any defeat), but 
was more than pleased with Gettysburg. The walk did not stop until the 
Army of the Potomac was again between the Rappahannock and the Rapidan. 

July, August and September having passed by, and October being well under 
way, Lee, having nothing to gain by remaining quiet, again put his army in 
motion, this time bound for the road that led to his country's capital, but not 
with patriotic intent. 

By this time the Army of the Potomac had become well grounded in the ups 
and downs which lie lietween the Rapidan and the Potomac. Foraging had 
become a thing of the past in this now agricultural and animal fonsaken por- 
tion of our land. In fact, at the time when anything was to be found here, it 
was not permitted to be taken. It was not until later on that the conclusion 
was arrived at that Union armies were not organized and maintained to guard 
crops for rebel army use and the sitsteuance of a Southern Confederacy. 

Thousands of Union soldiers might lie in unknown graves, and tens of thou- 
sands might be sent home cripples for life, but not an ear on the stalk, or a 
grain in the crib, an animal on the hoof, or his parts in the smoke-house, must 
be taken by the Union .soldier, lest treason might not have abundance. 

All that was left of what once had been, were the names of the places along 
the route — Rappahannock Station, Catlett's, BrLstoe, Manassas, Thoroughfare, 
Haymarket, Union Mills. 

Meade became aware of Lee's purpose too late to make the following a walk, 
or even an easy run. It was so closely parallel, at times, that it was not 
<!ertain which army was in the pursuit, and when at Bristoe Station, on 
October 14, the Second Corps and a portion of the Fifth were attacked, 
while marching by the flank, by a portion of Hill's Corps under Heth, Warren 
did a service for the Army of the Potomac, and liis country, which should have 
avoided the decree of April, 1865, removing him from his command. It was 
the only infantry' engagement of moment in the movement, and had the effe(;t 
of making this the last in the series of Lee's running campaigns on Washington. 

On his way back, starting on the 19th, Lee destroyed the railroad, which 
Meade rebuilt as the Army of the Potomac advanced leisurely to the Rappa- 
hannock. 

On November 7, Meade forded the river at Rajjpaliaunock Station and Kelly's 
Ford, the battling at both points being severe, and the Army of the Potomac 
no more came back until without a foe. 

November 8, Lei; crossed the Rapidan, and he never came back. Meade's 
army went into camp, the Eighty-fourth to the left of Brandy Station, on land 
of John Minor Botts, and immediately commenced the erection of winter quar- 
ters. Picket duty and the ordinary engagements of the camp followed, until 
Noveralxjr 25, when the army marched the lew miles Uj the Rapidan, crossed 



Pennsylvania at Getty dnirg. 461 

over, and the rebels fell back, coutestiug all the way, imtil Locust Grove was 
reached, on the 27th, where the regiment was warmly engaged. Here occurred 
the incident which clearly proved the fastness of llu- colors of the Eighty- 
fourth. 

The whole line to the right and left gave way. This forced the regiment to 
retire, and there was every indication of a precipitate retreat. The regiment 
had gone but its flags were still there. The adjutant came promptly to the 
direction of the colors, and the two flags in the hands ol the hearers, supported 
by the color guard, marched oft' the field to the ordiuary step, and in as orderly 
manner as when passing from the parade ground to headquarters. The flags 
might have been captured, aud the adjutant and guard with them, but it would 
have been a capture to which no discredit would have attached. One officer 
and eight men wounded. From the field of liocust Grove to Mine Run. and a 
sight of the defenses of Lee. 

On the night of the 28th, orders were given to charge the enemy's works the 
next morning at 8 o'clock, and by daylight the army was in line, awaiting the 
order to advance. It was well the order of execution was not given. The 
slaughter that would have ensued would have been without its fellow in the 
tales of the war. Pickett at Gettysburg was a thing of jiarade compared with 
what this would have been. The troops would have gone over a space which 
thereafter would have been noted as the field of death. Meade thought one 
way; Warren the other. Warren was right, and Meade saw, in time, that he, 
himself, was wrong. This act of Warren did not call for what was done liiTu 
at Five Forks. 

The day passed, and in the night, the pickets cautioned to keep the fires 
going and then left to take care of themselves, Meade had his army quietly 
.slip away from out of sight of the defenses the\' had only looked upon, aud 
then, without hurry, back to the old camp at Brandy Station, where, from the 
2d of December, 1863, to May ?>, 1864, the camp life of winter was unbroken, 
save for a day or two, taken up by the march to the Rapidan on February 6, 
as a caution to Lee, who was somewhat restless to learn what the army in front 
of him was doing. 

Also the re-enlistments for the veteran three years, accompanied by the fur- 
lough tor thirty days. But during this time there occurred what was to sub- 
ject all elements of all the armies of the Union to harmony of action, and thus, 
in good time, end the attempt at the destruction of the Union, and thereby 
cease the struggle for its maintenance. 

By special act of Congress the rank of lieutenant-general was revived, and, 
by the President, conferred on Major-General Ulysses S. Grant, with assign- 
ment to the command of all the armies of the United States, Halleck being re- 
lieved as general-in-chief. and a.ssigned to duty in Washington as army chief 
of staff. 

After the severe experiences of three years, the Executive and Legislative 
<lepartments had come to the common agreement, that the rebellion could be 
put down with one army, but never with a score, with ten, nor even two. 
.Starting anew, there would be one captain of the host. The Army of the 
Potomac was now — Second Corps, Hancock; Fifth Corps, Warren; Sixth Corps, 
Sedgwick; cavalry, Sheridan; and Hunt, chief of artillery; Meade in command 
of the whole, but Grant always present. 

The Eighty-fourth was assigned to the Second Brigade, Fourth Division 



462 Pennsylvania ai Getty shunj. 

(Mott), Seeoiul Corps t_Haui;ock), aud iVoni this on the relereuces to tlic Sccoiul 
Corps will be, mainly, our account of the J'^ighty-toiirth. 

Soon after midnight, May 3-4, 1864, was inaugurated Grant's campaign — 
the longest, but the last, of the war. The Army of the Potomac muved off their 
live months' camping ground, thereafter to realize that armies could move 
without regard to seasons. Pontoons were thrown across the Eapidau, princi- 
pally at Germanna and Ely's fords. Passed over the battle ground of just a 
year before, at Chancel lorsville. and came well into the wilderness on the oth. 
At 9 o'clock, Hancock was ordered to the support of Gettj^'s Division, the Sec- 
ond of the Sixth Corps, who had run against the enemy on the Orange Plank 
and Turnpike roads. The woods aud narrow roads prevented Hancock from 
getting into position until 4 o'clock, when he sent Birney's and Mott's divi- 
sions to Getty's support, and saved him I'rom a rout. Fighting continued until 
ilark. 

Grant's disiK)sition of the troops placed Hancock in command of about one- 
half the line, and thus located, he was ordered to attack at 4 o'clock the morn- 
ing of the 6th, subsequently changed, at Meade's suggestion, to 5 o'clock. The 
movement was prompt, and to the left of the Orange Plank road. 

By the end of the first hour of the desperate fighting of that morning, it was 
(irant's belief, that '" if the country had been such that Hancock and his com- 
mand could have seen the confusion and panic in the lines of the enemy, it 
would have been taken advantage of so effectually, that Lee would not have 
made another stand outside the Richmond defenses." 

The enemy got close upon a portion of the Second Corps before being .seeu, 
owing to tlie den.sity of the woods, and they were so suddenly forced back as 
to compel the retirement of Mott's Division also to the intrenched position of 
the morning. The battle was kept up from 5 o'clock in the morning until 
night, and all the time within a width of space averaging not over three-quar- 
ters of a mile. During the night all of Lee's army withdrew within their iii- 
trenchments. Grant said '"that more desperate lighting had not been wit- 
ne.ssed on this continent, than that of the 5th and 6th of May." The Eighty- 
fourth was in the very thick of the fight. Nine men killed, two officers aud 
thirty-nine men wounded. 

The character of this lighting ground is a thing of history. Heavy timber, 
close, thick underbrush, impossibility of knowing where the enemy was until 
close at hand, the burning breastworks, all present factors in the fight, gave 
Grant to know that he had an army on whom he could rely for the veiy best 
of service. 

Grant had the faith belbre he had applied the test, for, on the otli, all the 
bridges over the Pajndan had been taken up except the one at Germanna lord, 
showing that he had no thought of necessity for recrossing the river. 

Among the wounded of the Eighty-fourth was its commander, Lieutenaut- 
(Jolonel Opp, .shot through the lung. He .sufiered, and how bravely, until the 
ytli, when he died. And it but honors every soldier of the regiment, from the 
highest in rank to the lowest, when it is said, that with his going out there 
was made a vacancy in the regimental household, which we have felt from 
then to the presc^nt, and will ever feel, until we greet him in our reunion when 
\\i: gather together in that other time which shall follow upon this. 

In the closing weeks of 1862 the regiment had sought and found new life, 
and with the beginning of 1863 had started off anew, cleared of all that might 



Pennsylvania al (JeM//slmrt/. 463 

have held il l)aek in the then coming lime. Milton Upp was then the second 
officer of the regiment. He was possessed oC an ambition worthy of all the 
praise that grateful men could well hestow; ambitious, not for himself, but for 
his regiment. In command from January, 1863, to the time of his death, the 
very examjile of his manner, his bearing, whether with belt on or ofi; was such 
as to bring up the tone of every soldier of the Eighty-fourth. The lowest in 
the regiment was higher because of the presenc(! of Milton Opp. No regi- 
mental headquarters surpassed his in integrity of purpose, lirmness without 
severity of action or sense of duty in everything that was calculated to incline 
a regiment of soldiers to be a credit to themselves, and an honor to their State. 
How much the situation did for the general tone of the regiment has, perhaps, 
been more thought of since than during the time of its service, .\ided from the 
beginning by a most faithful and altogether most competent adjutant. Colonel 
Opp brought the regiment up to a standard of discipline from which his suc- 
cessors in command never saw it depart, from which, good and able officers 
that they were, they would not have ijermitted it to depart. Between their 
task and his, and it detracts not one whit from them to think it or to say it, 
there was this difierencc, he made it the easier for them to carry out well, as 
they faithfully did, what he had so well provided. He was the most loved by 
those whose acquaintance with him was the most intimate. A gentleman, a 
Christian man. 

How we would all welcome liim, could we greet him now. And by none 
\vould he have been welcomed among us with more of good, earnest feeling, 
Ihan by him who .so well succeeded to the command which was lett by Milton 
< )pp on the 6th of May, 1864. , 

The battle of the Wilderness had been fought. When the soldiers of the 
Army of the Potomac learned that a drawn battle could be made in its results 
a great victory, when they learned that Grant not only commanded the masses 
of the troops, but had firm control of the official elements, and forty -eight hours 
was .sufficient for the lesson, is it any wonder that "the greatest enthusiasm 
was manifested by Hancock's troops," when, on the 7tli of Maj'^, Grant rode 
behind the Second Corps, lying on the Brock road, 'inspired." says Grant. 
■' no doubt by the fact that the movement was .south." 

No more exhibitions of jealousy among commanders of corps. Such conduct 
was now to send a major-general to the rear as a u.seless incumbrance. 

Early on the morning of the 7th, Grant's order had gone out for a night 
march to Spotsylvania. An encounter with Earl\' detained the Second Corps 
at Todd's Tavern, and kept it from Spot.sylvania on the 8th. Having got rid 
of Early, at noon on the 9th Hancock was ordered up from Todd's Tavern, ex- 
cepting Mott's Division, which followed later in the day. Sedgwick, com- 
manding the Sixth Corps, was killed on the morning of tlie !)th. by a rebel 
sharpshooter. 

On the loth, Hancock was ordered to attack with the Second, Fifth and 
Sixth Corps. The assault was made about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Avith not 
altogether satisfactory result. Mott's Division was on the left of the Sixth 
Corps. 

On the 11th, the only movement was by Mott's Division, acting under orders 
to develop a weak spot in the enemy's line. The outcome of this reconnais- 
sance was Grant's order of the 11th, for an assault at precisely 4 a. m. of the 
12th, ''with all possible vigor, the preparations to be conducted with the ut- 



464 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

uioii:t secrecy, and veiled entirely from the enemy.' The heavy fog delayed 
the start one hour. The objective jwiut was the salient, where, after the con- 
llict, laj' Lee's soldiers piled one upon another, just as they fell. The rebel 
captured numbered four thousand, among them jMajor-General Edward John- 
son, division commander, and Brigadier-General Steuart, commanding a bri- 
gHrde; a score of guns, with horses, caissons and ammunition, and several thou- 
sand small arms. Loss to the regiment, nine men killed, one officer and 
twenty-seven men wounded. It was on May 13 that Grant, in a letter to the 
Secretary' of War, made use of the memorable words, "I propose to fight it out 
on this line if it takes all summer." 

On the 13th, Grant recommended our old brigade commander, Carroll, for 
promotion to the rank of brigadier-general. Mott's Division was reduced to a 
brigade, and assigned to Birney's Division. Whatever further might have 
been done in pressing Lee at Spotsylvania, was prevented by the heavy rain 
which commenced on the night of the 13th. 

On the 18th, Grant gave orders for the movement by the left Hank on to 
Richmond. Our road from Spotsylvania to Fredericksburg was now open to 
Lee, and on the 19th, the base of supplies was shifted from Fredericksburg to 
Port Eoyal. 

On the 20th, orders were renewed for the left flank movement to commence 
after night. Hancock, having the lead, marched easterly to Guiney's Station, 
on the Fredericksburg railroad, thence southerly to Bowling Green and Mil- 
ford, arriving at Milford on the night of the 21st. 

On the 22d, the Second Corps was permitted to rest through the day and 
night. • 

On the 23d, Hancock moved to the wooden bridge, west of the Fredericks- 
burg railroad bridge, over the North Anna river, the rebel guard being in- 
trenched on the north side. The guard gave way quickly, but so rapid was 
the move upon the bridge that several of the rebels were forced tlnough the 
water. Owing to the late hour the corps did not cross until the next morning. 
Regiment had one officer and five men wounded. 

On the 26th, base of .supplies changed from Port Royal to White House. All 
the troops south of the North Anna were crossed back to the north side, and 
moved iinder orders to proceed to Hanover, a point within twenty miles of 
Richmond. 

On the 29th, at Hanover. The Second Corps moved toward Totopotomoy 
creek to discover the whereabouts of the enemy. He was found strongly for- 
tified. 

On May 31 and June 1, the regiment was engaged with the enemy at Pleas- 
ant Hill, known as the Battle of Totopotomoy. Four men killed, three officers 
and thirteen men wounded. From June 1 to 3, at Cold Harlior. One officer 
and six men wounded. 

On June 5, Grant determined uix)n moving the army south of the James. 

On evening of the 13th, Second Corps was at Charles City Court House, on 
the James river. 

On the 14th, Second Corps crossed in the advance, using bridge and boats. 

On the 15th, arrived after dark in front of Petersburg, and relieved Smith's 
troops in the trenches. ICth to 18th, continuous fighting. Two men killed, 
tliree officers and eleven men wounded. 

On the 22d, the Second (k>rps was moved to the left to draw the enemy oat, 



Fennsylvania at Geftyshmy: 465 

or to compel him to remain within his lines. He staid in, and now began the 
siege of Petersburg, with the Ninth Corps on the right, then the Fifth, .Second 
Corps next, and then the Sixth broken olT to the south. The next movement 
was not until July 26, when the Second Corps and the cavalry crossed the 
James river to Deep Bottom, for the purpose of drawing .some of Lee's forces 
to the north side of the James, pending the explosion of the mine which had 
been worked in front of the Ninth Corps, commencing on June 25. and was now 
ready to be fired. 

On the 29th, the Second Corps was brought liack to the James, and cros.sed 
over at night, with orders to proceed to that part of the line where the mine 
was located. The explosion was in itself a succe.ss, but history records a com- 
plete failure in result. 

On August 13 and 14, to keep Lee from sending troops to the valley against 
Sheridan, the Second Corps, part of the Tenth, and Gregg's Division of 
Cavalry, were crossed over the James, with orders not to bring on a battle. It 
was quite a severe move for the regiment, an engagement with the rebels at 
Cliarles City Cross Roads on the 15th resulting in two men killed, one officer 
and sixteen men wounded, and several captured, who suffered the horrors of 
Salisbury for many months, some of them dying for want of food, water and 
.shelter. 

On the night of the 20th, withdrew from the north side of the James river, 
and Hancock and Gregg sent southward to destroy the Weldon railroad. 
Reams' Station fought on the 25th. October 1, moved with the corps to Yellow 
House, and thence to the extreme left of the line. First line of enemy's 
works charged and carried. The regiment was at this time a part of Pierce's 
Brigade, the Second, Mott's (Third) Division, Second Corps. 

On the afternoon of the 2d, the Eighty-fourth, Avith other troops, in all not 
a full regiment in number, with Colonel Ziun in command of the charging 
party, moved upon the second line at a point known as Poplar Spring Church. 
As soon as the rebel troops became aware of the purpo.se to charge, there was 
the disposition to abandon their position, but when they saw the small number 
of the charging party they resumed their places behind their works, and held 
their musketry fire, keeping up the lire of their guns, until the charging line 
was within a few feet, when they delivered such a fire, volley upon volley, as 
threatened to kill, or wound, every soldier of the Eighty-fourth. As we think 
of that flood of balls, it seems incrediljle that none were killed, and only eight 
wounded, two officers and .six men. Colonel Zinn was shot, and would now be 
going around upon one natural leg, had he not successfully fought the surgeon's 
conclusion to take the other off. 

October 4, lay in rear of Ninth Corps works, building forts and slashing 
timber. 5th, brigade ordered to join the corps, and marched to our old posi- 
tion near Fort Hays. 6th, regiment sent to garrison Fort Bross, on Norfolk 
and Petersburg railroad, in company with a section of Fourteenth Massachu- 
setts Battery, two guns, under Lieutenant George. No other troops in the 
vicinity. 13th, paymaster on hand with six months' arrears. 

October 23d, three years had now elapsed since the organization of the regi- 
ment, and the men who had served during that time, and were not included 
in the number of veteran enlistments, were honorably discharged by reason 
of expiration of term of service, 25th, regiment ordered to report to division 
as soon as possible. At 1 p. m., left Fort Bross, and joined the division be- 
30 



466 Pennsylvania at (Jeff//,shurg. 

tweeu the fort ami Jerusalem Plank road. Lay massed during the day and 
night. "^Bth, moved to the left, pa.ssing the Gurley House, in rear of our rear 
line of works. Struck the Weldon railroad a mile from the Yellow House. 
Remained here until 4 o'clock the next morning, when the march was con- 
tinued toward the South Side railroad, moving along a narrow road and through 
woods until we arrived about 2 p. m. near Hatcher's Unu and the Boydton 
Plank road. During the last live miles the rebel cavalry continually engaged 
our own, working around to our rear as we advanced, fighting at the saw mill 
shortly after we had passed. Formed line of battle in open field. A break in 
the line to the right, owing to a separation of divisions, was promptly noted 
by the enemy, who marched in by the flank between Pierce's and McAllisters 
Brigades, the latter having been advanced about half a mile to the front of 
Mott's Division, until his right rested on the Boydton Plank road. It was an 
ill-advised move on tlie rebel side. As soon as noticed by McAllister, he faced 
his brigade to the rear, charged, and took several hundred pri-soners. Pierce's 
Brigade re-took the two guns which had been picked up by the enemy at the 
plank road. The regiment had four men wounded and one missing. Six men 
were taken prisoners, l>ut escaped. After dark, threw up light works at right 
angles with the plank road, being in such position that the shells from our rear 
reached where we lay, some going beyond and others exploding at our line. 
The enemy was both to the front and rear, accounted for by the Aict that we 
were stretching out his extreme right. 

At 10 p. m.. marched back to the old position between Fort Bross and Jeru- 
salem Plank road, arii\ing at 5 p. m. on the ;28th. 29th, moved to left and 
rear of Fort Hays. .'50th, 9 p. m., deployed along the works between Forts 
Hays and Davis, the enemy having relieved, very quietly, about three hun- 
dred men on our picket line, the pickets supposing thej' were being regularly 
relieved. The mistake was discovered in time to avoid any disadvantage 
therefrom. Regiment back in quarters before morning. 

November 1, changed position to right of Fort Hays, and put up tents 
along main line of works, oth, 12 p. m., rebel dash on picket line, with no 
succcess, but with lo.ss of forty of their men captured. Quiet until the 18th, 
when orders were received to be ready to move, but prevented bj' heavy rain. 
25th, nu'Uiorable as the day when the whole army was treated to a Tlianks- 
giving dinner, supplied by the people North. 29th, orders received to move at 
dark. (> p. m., moved to near Southall House, :50th, 7 a. m., marched along 
rear line of works, about five miles, to between Forts Emery and Siebert, and 
commenced putting up quarters. 

December 1, ordered to change camp, and on the 2d, moved about a mile, 
and commenced the erection of winter quarters. 1th, A, C, E and K com- 
panies mustered out as comi)any organizations, having completed three years' 
service. (Jth, ordered to march at daylight of tin; Tth. It was now quite evi- 
dent that the winter of Hil-'t was not to be as other winters had been. 

On the Tth, Mott's Division marched out with the Fifth Corps and the cav- 
alry, the whole under command of Warren, under orders to destroy as much 
as pos.sible of the Weldon railroad. Went by way of the Jerusalem Plank 
road, cro.s.sed the Nottoway river at dark, and bivouacked on the south side, 
twenty miles. 

8th, marched at daylight, pa.ssed through Sussex Court House and Comaii's 
Well, twelve miles, and ])iv()uack(;(l for tlic night within two miles of the Wel- 
4ton railroad. 



Pennsi/lvama at Gettyshui-<i. 467 

9th, daylight, marched two miles, striking the Weldon railroad near Jar- 
ratt's Station. From this point southward to Beltield, a distance of eleven 
miles, the railroad was effectiaally destroyed. 

10th, the object of the expedition having been accomplished, Warren started 
backward toward Petersburg, marched eighteen miles, and bivouacked for the 
night four miles south of Sussex Court House. 

11th, started at daylight, again passed through Sussex Court House, recrossed 
the Nottoway river, stopping for the night four miles beyond, eleven miles. 

12th, off again at daylight, the regiment deployed as flankers, and back at 
our lines at 2 p. m., sixteen miles. 

There were no casualties, except as will be stated, no rebel force having been 
encountered. 

On the way back it was discovered that several Union soldiers had been 
murdered by guerrillas, their bodies having been Ibund in the woods, off the 
line of march, horribly mutilated. On the way down they had strayed from 
the road to lie down, being overcome by too free indulgence in the discovery 
made at one of the houses, not knowing its powerful after effect. It was a ter- 
rible sequel to the over taking of the seeming harmlessness of apple jack, to 
one not acquainted with its ardent qualities. The result of the discovery of 
the bodies was the order given to ])urn every house and other building any- 
where near the line of march. 

13th, moved into the woods and took position in line for the purpose of lay- 
ing out camp and putting up quarters. 

14th, erection of winter quarters. 

'22d, expiration of three years since muster of the regiment into the service 
of the United States. 

23d, division paraded to witness the execution of John E. Dixon, private 
First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, for desertion. Dixon had made a break 
for the rebel line, but not noticing the direction of the two lines, ran into our 
own line without knowing it, when it was learned from his words and manner 
that he supposed he was on the other side, and that his purpose had been to 
desert. 

31st, regiment consolidated into battalion of four companies. 

Thi3 formation was preparatory to tlie consolidation of the regiment with the 
Fifty -seventh Pennsylvania, which had been made a battalion of .six companies. 
The consolidation took place on .January 13, 1865. The consolidation was not 
a merger, save as to number. The Fifty-.seventh composed the right six com- 
panies and the Eighty-fourth the left four companies. 

I will venture what I think the explanation of the dropjjing of the number 
eighty -four and the retention of the number fifty-seven, notwithstandin"- it was 
known that the colonel, major and adjutant of the consolidated regiment would 
be from the Eighty-fourth. But it was also known that the retention of tlic 
number eighty-four would work great injustice to officers who had earned fur- 
ther promotion, and therelbre the natural course of the command of the rei^i- 
ment determining the number, must give way to the necessity which justice 
prompted. 

Colonel Bowman Avas still borne on the rolls of the Eighty-fourth, though 
his service in the field was less than a year, and only half that time directly 
with the regiment, and then on permanent detached service at Washington 
since June, 1863. It was known that he would not return to field service. 



468 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

"Witli the nuinber lilt3'-seven, ijieiiteu.ant-Colonel Zinn was ijromoted colonel; 
Ciiiitaiu Brvau. major; aud Captain Perkins, of the old Filty-seveuth, lieuten- 
ant-foloncl. Captain r>rvan had been commissioned major of the Eiyhty-fourth 
in May, 1864, nearly a year before, but conld not be mustered as such for want 
of the minimum number admitting of three held officers, although there was 
not one field officer doing duty with the regiment. 

Colonel Bowman continued to rank as of the Eighty-fourth until the middle 
of May, when he was mustered out, a month after the close of the war. That 
portion of the inscription on the monument which brings the Eighty-fourth 
down to the date of the muster out of the Fifty-seventh, was conceded only 
alter months of earnest (ionteutiou. The Fifty-seventh continued in Pierce's 
Brigade. 

February 5, 7 a. m., marched from camp and along Vaughan road, crossing 
the picket line about three miles to north side of Hatcher's Kun, and put up 
works. 6 p. m., moved a mile to the right, took position under very heavy tire 
on left of the Third Brigade, and put up works. 

6th, ordered to support of Fifth Corps, While on the way order counter- 
manded and returned to works. 

7th and 10th, slashing timber in front of line. 

11th. line to our left abandoned during the night. "> a. m., moved within 
new line a!id encamped. 

12th, slashing timber in front of works. 

13th, again putting up winter quarters, the heavy timbers of .some of the tents 
being moved from the old camp. 

25th, daylight heavy firing at Fort Stedman. 6 a. m., ordered to be packed 
up. 4 p. m., advanced outside of picket line. Put up slight breast-works. 
Rebel charge repulsed. Took about two hundred prisoners. 26th, 1 a. m., 
returned to camp and again put up tents. 

27th, 10 a. m., on picket. Advanced picket posts to within one hundred and 
fifty yards of enemy's line. No firing. 

28th, received orders to be ready to move at 6 a. m., the 29 th. 

On the day that Lee arranged the assault intended to compel Grant to abandon 
his Petersburg line, and thus raise the siege of Petersburg, Grant Lssued the 
order for the movement of the 29th. Had Lee met with success on the 25th, 
Grant's programme to end the war at this time would have failed. 

29th, 6 a. m., left camj) near Humphreys' Station, marched along Vaughan 
road three miles, and formed line on right of the road. Advanced two miles 
and bivouacked for the night. 

:50th, 7 a. m., advanced in line of battle one mile and put up woiks. 

:Ust, 1 a. ni., moved one mile to left, aud bivouacked for the night on )>attle- 
field of 27th of November last. 

April 1st, 6 p. m,, portion of regiment detailed for picket duty. 

2d, 9 a. m.. passed through main line of rebel woiks and marched seven miles, 
to within a half mile of Petersburg, and formed in line. 

Seventy prisoners captured by the regiment. Four men wounded. 

3d, 8 a. m., marched westward on road to Burk's Station in ])ursuit of Lee, 
twenty miles. 

4th, 7 a. m., in same dire(;tion, eight miles. 6 p. ni., l)ivouacked. 

5th, 1.30 a. m., in same direcition. Crossed Ixichmond and Danville railroad, 
and bivouacked one mile north of the road, twelve miles. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 469 

6th, 7 a. m., in close pursuit of Lee. 

Portion of regiment on skirmish line, continually running into Lee's rear 
guard skirmishers, capturing prisoners, and toward night took part in the 
capture of rebel train of two hundred wagons hastening on to Lynchburg. Pris- 
oners captured ninety and one color. Lieutenant-Colonel Perkins and fifteen 
men wounded. 

7th, 7 a. m., continued the pursuit. Passed the Richmond and Danville rail- 
road at the High l)ridge, wliich had been tired by the reljcls and partly burned. 
Met the enemy in force after marching about eight miles. Two men wounded. 

8th, passed through coal land, marching seventeen miles. Took forty pris- 
oners. For the last three days broken-down rebel wagons, gun carriages and 
soldiers were a common sight. 

April 9th, the last day. Still in close pursuit. Went five miles, driving 
the enemy. 12 o'clock, ordered to halt until 2. 2 o'clock, ordered to halt 
until 4, before which hour Lee had surrendered to Grant the Army of Northern 
Virginia. The regiment was with the advance, and a])Out four miles east of 
Appomattox Court House. 

Who would attempt to word the feeling following upon the announcement 
of the surrender that Sunday afternoon, April 9, 1865? 

April 11, 10 a. m., journeyed back twelve miles to New Store, away from 
what had been Lee's army, and without seeing it. 

From two things we knew the surrender had been made. The fact of the 
announcement and the other fact — there had been no pickets out, no guard on, 
since the 9th. But there had been no parading of a vanquished foe to meet the 
gaze of a triumphant army. Grant had saved them that humiliation. 

12th, 6 a. m.. fifteen miles, iiassed through Curdsville. and then on to Farm- 
ville. 

13th, 6 a. m., seventeen miles, to near Burk"s Station, and went into camp. 

15th, 10 p. m., received official dispatch of the assassination of President 
Lincoln on the night of the 14th, and his death at 7.22 o'clock on the morning 
of the 15th. He had lived to the last day of a labor which none but himself 
could know how hard it had been to bear. But now how absolute his rest. 
The very heaven his immediate reward for the saving, under God. of a nation. 

16th, moved one-third of a mile to change camp. 

19th, ordered that all unnecessary work be suspended on the day of the Pres- 
ident's funeral. 

25th, regiment paraded to hear orders relative to theassa-ssination. Otlicers 
directed to wear crape for six months and colors to be draped Ibr the same i)eriod. 

28th, dispatch received announcing the surrender of .Tohnston, and then the 
most doubtful knew that the war was over. 

May 2, marched at 1 p. m., eleven miles to Getty ville. 

3d, 6 a. m., to and acro.ss the Appomattox, pa.ssing through Five Forks, 
Amelia Court House and Scott's store, seventeen miles. 

4th, 6 a. m., marched eighteen miles. 

5th, 5 a. m., to Manchester opposite Richmond, arriving at 11 a. m., ten miles. 

6th, 10.30 a. m., passed through Manchester, crossed the pontoon bridge over 
the James river, marched through Richmond with colors fiying and bands play- 
ing, passing Libby Prison on the way. Crossed the Chickahominy river and 
bivouacked four and one-half miles north of Ri.-hmond, on the Frederic k.sburg 
pike, eight miles. 



470 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

7th, C a. in., tlinmgh Hanover Court House and across the Pamunkey river, 
sixteen miles. 

8th, t) a. ni., sixteen miles. 

9th, () a. m., seventeen mile.s. to within one-half mile of Po river. 

10th, 6 a. m., crossed the Rappahannock, through Fredericksburg, with colors 
flying and bands playing, and bivouacked near our old picket line of '63, and 
within two and one-half miles of the old camp ground at Stoneman's switch, 
.seventeen miles. 

11th. 6 a. m., cro-ssed head waters of Aquia creek, sixteen miles 

12th, 6 a. m., fourteen miles, to near Wolf Run shoals and Occoquan river. 

13th, 5 a. m., crossed the Occoquan, and then the Orange and Alexandria 
railroad, sixteen miles. 

15th, 6 a. m., six miles, to Four Mile Run, being that distance from Wash- 
ington, and went into final held camp. 

May 23, review of the Army of the Potomac in Washington by President 
Johnson. 

24th, review of Sherman's army. 

The two days as one, and what a turn-out of veterans ; a sight the like of 
which never had been witnessed, and we think never will be again. From the 
review, back over the Potomac for the last time, and but for a few days, anil 
then the 29th, on which day was read on dress parade the order that made, a.s 
other citizens, save in the service they had completed for their country, the 
soldiers who comprised the field survivors of the Eighty-fourth and Fifty -seventh 
Regiments Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. 

From camp near Washington to Harrisburg, there a closing of accounts with 
the government that had, with the loss of 400,000 loyal lives and the crippling of 
300,000 Union soldiers, and the agonies of the sorrow which never could be told 
oQ", been made altogether free. 

Into the hands of each comrade was placed a printed copy of the following 
paper : 

Parting' as a band of brotbers, let us cling- to the memory of those tattered banners, 
under which we have fought togettier, and which, without dishonor, we have just now 
restored to the authorities who placed them in our hands. Till we grow gray-headed 
and pass away, let us sustain the reputation of this noble regiment. 

Fortune threw together two organizations, the Eightj'- fourth and Fifty-seventh, to 
make the present command. Both regiments have been in the service since the begin- 
ning of the strife, and the records of both will command respect in all coming time 
Very many of those who were enrolled with us have fallen, and their graves are scat- 
tered here and there throughout the South. We sliall not forget them, and the people 
of this nation must and will honor their memory. Comrades, farewell." 

Then with certificates of honorable muster-out, all matters of detail faithfully 
completed, and the 8th day of July, 1865, at hand, the " Old Regimental Home" 
was gone, and forever. 

The war is over ! Hut not so with its spleiulid achievements, it.s grand and 
far-reaching results. 

Never was conllict waged to a l)etter and surer end. Never a result attained 
])earing so completely upon true governmental economy. To the revolution of 
'75 we are indebted for the rebellion of '61, The revolution staiuls out the 
more grandly because of the resulting text — the rebellion. The rejection of 
the latter was the upholding of the principles of the former ; posterity's em- 
phatic endorsement of a valuable ancestry. Victories may be great but not 
always just. Conquerors have vaiuiuishcd peoples and thereby encompa.ssed 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburfj, 471 

countries within their toils, and then regretted there was not more to do on the 
same line. But their doing was only the accomplishment ol' personal gain, the 
satisfaction ol'sellish purj-tose. With them war was a thing sought after, not a 
calamity to he avoided. 

Justice was not their polar star, nor did they seeek the moral sphere as the 
place of their hahitation. With them war was a vocation ordinary, and life 
and morals considerations secondary. Pul)lic standing and landed interests 
were made to depend upon military record. Conquered territory was divided 
as would he now the spoils of the theft, among the participators in the act and 
in proportion to the extent of the service done. What a mistake, how grievous 
a wrong, to review on the printed page the tenacity of an Alexander, or the 
vigor of a Napoleon, for the purpose of comparing the wars of their armies with 
the deeds of patriotism and of valor that moved the six fighting years of the rev- 
olution, or the four years of therehellion. 

No man this side of the Atlantic forced the revolution. It was the outcome 
of oppression that ill-fitted a people who had crossed from the other shore, not 
to bear greater burden, but that they might be full free from the cru.sh of wrong. 
In its beginning not aggressive, but defensive. A year passed by before it was 
determined that the yoke should be fulh' thrown ofFand absolute independence 
moved for. 

And so it was, when along in the after years came the overt acts of treason 
that were to force .states into rebellion, against the will of their people, every 
eflbrt, reasonable and unreasonable, was made to conciliate the men whose only 
desire was not Union, but disintegration. So far did some of the most promi- 
nently active, and. 1 may add. patriotic men of our country, go in their deter- 
mination to avoid a resort to arms, that the very amendment to the Constitu- 
tion of these United States that forever forbids the institution of slavery, 
would have been, in number, the amendment that would have fastened slavery 
upon the country forever, had it not been that just then treason grasped for too 
much and thereby lost all. Now. when all is .safe, it moves us to a condition 
of agony to recall that in the winter of '60 and '61, so weighty was the power 
of the then South, that among the men of oirr country, those of best repute, 
were found so many, who, to avert war, were ready to surrender everything, 
save the theory of a central government for all the States, and (he bare privilege 
to look at the old flag. 

Our countrj' is great, our government is powerful, but no thanks are owing 
to compromisers for the greatness of the one or the power of the other. 

Treason's eagerness for the capture of all saved one generation from the com- 
mission of a wrong that the good deeds of all the coming generations could 
not have atoned for. 

It is well to be on guard always. 

And what of the present? 

The once soldiers of the Confederacy are entitled, as individuals, to every 
manly consideration at our hands; as individuals they are as we are, men 
walking the journey of life, reaching out to one common goal. But their 
organized bodies have no claim upon us for recognition. The government 
should have taken the life from every "camp" at the birth, and its strong arm 
should have swept from its soil the first monument to rebellion, with the warn- 
ing that the placing of the second would be known as trea.son. 

They have been asking that the war be forgotten, and yet they would keep 
us dailv i-eminded bv the flauntins; of the Confederate bars. 



472 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

No inoiiumont to treason sliould have been permitted a place on this or otiier 
field, and being here should be returned to tlie donors, not to be erected else- 
where. 

No government is strong enough to glorify treason against itself, nor to en- 
courage it anywhere. 

The individual I would take most heartily by the hand, the organization I 
discard. 

There can be no true call for a union of the blue and the gray. Let all don 
the blue. In place of waiting for the chasm to be closed, flank it and locate 
upon our side. The chasm itself can do no harm. It will l)e a thing well to 
look upon at times, and take warning from as the divider of great depth and 
impassable width. 

As in Heaven, so in earth, to dwell together as brothers, all must be of one 
mind, patriots upholding the one flag, standing fast by the red, white and 
blue. 

When true history of our day comes to be Avritten, all things will be made 
plain. With the faithful historian, it is not the question of the doing, but of 
the thing done. Just as when we look upon the completed work of the sculp- 
tor, or the finished touch of the painter, it is not of the marble, or the canvas 
and the material laid upon it that we think, but of the figure before us, as we 
note perfection in every line, and see life in the seeming light of the eye. and 
apparent movement of muscle. 

History gives little heed to men, save to designate the moral character ot 
the age. 

And now, comrades, for the part taken by the Eighty-fourth Regiment Penn- 
sylvania Veteran Volunteers in the .setting of the page which will commemo- 
rate the work of our time, a grateful Commonwealth has placed upon this spot 
this weight of granite. 

To the living it is. and to tlie people yet to come it will be, the visible proof 
of the deeds of heroism which located a part of the life of the men who Ijore 
the names that make up the roll of a command, whose record among the ar- 
chives of the Nation is without the semblance of a blur or particle of a stain. 
Clear, positive, clean cut all the way through. Do we advance sentiment onl\% 
when we say that such a body did not, could not, have died in '65? Is there 
nothing of substance, nothing real, to come out of the thought, that as our 
country lives, so we as a regiment go on, living in the freedom of a land and 
the stability of a government, neither of which would now be, without senti- 
ment, the spring of human life? 

The memorial which is here placed speaks from all along the line, from T.ath 
to Appomatto.x. 

For the moment it moves aside, and where it was, and within the lengthen- 
ing of its shadow, we see them all and as we glance from right to left, from 
front to rear, one is taken from here, another from th€re, one by one, from the 
highest in rank to the lowest, from the oldest in years to the youngest, the man 
and the boy; first the two hundred and thirty in fhe time of the war, then the 
many who have left us in the days that have intervened; and then comes ihe 
shaft into the space which was made lor it. We look u])on it now, and know 
that it .stands for them. The time is coming when it will stand for all who.se 
names made up a regimental roll. 

Tlien, and not till then, shall we know tliat our work here is fully done. 




PMOTO. er w. M. IlPtOK, GETrvSeuRG. 



"RfNT : THE F. i,l,T^<K.f. 



Pnin.sijIranJd of Geit tjsl)ii\-<j. .473 



DEDICATION OF MONUMFA"T 

88^" REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September ii, 1889 
ADDRESS OF LIEUTENANT-COLONEL GEORCJE E. WACJNER 

COMRADES of tlie Eighty-eighth Regiment and I'eUow-citizens: — The regi- 
ment in whose memory we are assembled on tins occasion was recruited 
by Colonel George P. McLean, and was originally called the Cameron 
Light Guard, in honor of the Hon. Simon Cameron, tlien Secretary of 
War: it was afterwards known as the Eighty -eighth Regiment Infantry Penn- 
sylvania A'^olunteers. It was composed of seven companies from Philadelphia 
and three from Reading, in all about 1,000 men. Recruited in September, 1861, 
re-enlisted in January, 1864, and mustered out of service June 30, 1865, hav- 
ing served well and faithfully for a period of three years and ten months. 

During its term of service there were inscribed upon its roils the names of 
about 2,050 officers and enlisted men. Of the original complement of officers — 
tield, staff and line — of thirtj'^-eight, but two remained at muster-out. Colonel 
Louis Wagner and Lieutenant-Colonel Edmund A. Mass, both of whom originally 
entered the regiment as first lieutenants; and of the nearly 1,000 enlisted men 
mustered into service in 1861, but ninety-three were present with their commands 
at muster-out in 1865. Thirty-six of the original officers and more than nine 
hundred of the men originally enlisted had meanwhile succumbed to wounds 
or disease; those who had not yielded up their lives to rebel bullets or to the 
diseases incident to a soldier's life, had been discharged because of physical 
disability incurred in the long and arduous services they had performed. 

To-day we, but a small remnant of that glorious old regiment, are assembled 
upon one of the many battle-lields on which it did and dared, and it is a fitting 
time to at least name the many others upon which it fought and bled. 

Receiving our baptism of fire on Cedar Mountain, under Pope, came rapidly 
Rappahannock Station, Thoroughfare Gap, Second Bull Run, Chantilly, Antie- 
tam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Wilderness, 
Sjjotsylvania, North Anna, Totopotomoy, Bethesda Church, Cold Harbor, 
Petersburg, Weldon Railroad, Dabney's Mill, Boydton Road, Five Forks, and, 
lastly, the crowning victory at Appomattox. 

What wonderful memories these names awaken! Struggles, fierce and 
bloody; defeats and victories; marches b}' day, hy night, by rain, by shine, in 
summer's heats and winter's blasts, through clouds of dust, through oceans of 
mud; with ^McDowell, with Pope, with jNIcClellan, with Burnside, with Hooker, 
with Meade, and, lastlj-, with the grand commander of all — the immortal Grant, 
who, by his ponderous blows, brought annihilation to our enemies and gave us 
blessed peace. 

I congratulate you, men of the Eighty-eighth, on your share in these mighty 
achievements ! Let us rejoice that we, the survivors, have lived to see the 
day when the people of this great Commonwealth, through their Governor and 
other chosen officials and representatives, assemble to do honor to an organiza- 
tion of which we were part, and to drop a tear, with us, to the memory of the 



474 Pennsylvania uf Getty shiir<i. 

many of our comrades who Icll l>y tlic wayside duriiiii those tcirihlt- (hiys now 
happily past. 

Since the eventful days in July, 1861!, that made this sjiot historic, many 
pages have been written to describe what hajipened here, all of which have 
been more or less colored, because of thestaudpoint of the writers. Some would 
have us believe that Pickett's charge was the only event in the battle worthy 
of particular record ; others unduly extol the fight in the Peach Orchard ; others, 
again, think that Devil's Den and Round Top were the vital points in the 
tight, while still another class claim that the heaviest and most important 
lighting of all was at Gulp's Hill, in the entrenchments of the Twelfth Corps, 
on the right of the line. We of the First Corps have been entirely too modest, 
or, if not too modest, have lacked spokesmen; for to our minds it is a fact 
beyond dispute that there was no heavier or harder fighting on any day, or on 
any part of the field, than right here on tliis line on the first day of the battle. 
The fighting at Peach Orchard, Devil's Den, Round Top, Culp's Hill, Pickett's 
charge was like sudden summer storms, while the battling for the jjosscssion 
of this ridge was like a .steady all-day rain. The summer's storm, gathering 
abruptly, bursts in fury with a heavy down-pour, and perhaps flood, but ceases 
as quickly as it came, while the steady pour of the whole day swells rivulets 
into angrj' streams and cari'ies all before it. So it was ©u the field of Gettys- 
burg. The .storms of the second and third days broke suddenly and with great 
fury, and, while they lasted, could not be excelled for fierceness or destruc- 
tion, but soon they ceased; while here, on the first day, on this ridge, the 
steady down-pour on our devoted heads began early in the morning, lasted 
throughout the day until sundown, when we were completely overwhelmed by 
the flood and carried away. 

At this date (July 1, 1863), the Eighty-eighth was attached to Baxter's Bri- 
gade, Robinson's Division, First Army Corps, all commanded by General Rey- 
nolds, who also liad under his command the Third and Eleventh Corps; the 
whole forming the left wing of the Army of the Potomac. 

The movements of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Poto- 
mac bring the advance of each to Gettysburg on June 30, our cavalry under 
General Buford reaching there but a short time Ijefore the infantry division of 
Hcth, of Hill's Corps, of the rebel arm}'; the advance of the First Corps of our 
army being about five miles from the town, the Eleventh Corps at Emmits- 
burg, Maryland, about eleven miles distant, and the other corps at still greater 
distances, up to the forty miles of the Sixth Corps at Manchester, 

The fight opened early in the morningof July 1, by an advance of Heth's in- 
fantry to occupy the town, The\' were met and engaged hx Buford 's cavalry,- 
the latter were greatly outnumbered, but by skilful manceuvriug they con- 
cealed the smallness of their force, and kept up a brilliant and successful 
defense until reinforcements arrived — Wadsworth's Division, First Corps, 
Heth was reinforced l)y Pender's Division. The rebel line was now extended, 
and overlapped the flanks of Wadsworth; Rowley's Division of the First Corps 
arriving, one brigade was .sent to the right of Wadsworth. and the other to the 
left. Robinson's Division wjis held in reserve. Meanwhile Rodes' Division of 
Hill's Corps, and Early's Division of Ewell's Corps, arrived and prolonged the 
rebel line to the left, .still overlajjping our right flank. Two divisions from 
Eleventh Corps (Schimmelpfennig's and Barlow's) arrived in extension of oi:r 
right; this was the full line of battle, as finally developed, the other division 



/'''iii(s///r(nn'(i a/ (rcffz/s/mrff. 475 

(Steiuwehr'.s) of tlie Kloveiith Corps liaviiii; takfii i)osiLi()U a.s a reserve oii 
Cemetery Hill. 

The Avhole loree upon the tiold. on the liist day, was about ::(>,(t<tO of t lie rebel 
;irmy. and about 17,000 of ours. 

Meanwhile the fighting was constant on dilferents parts of the line, there 
being charges and counter-charges, in which the rebel brigades of Archer, 
O'Neal and Iverson were badly worsted and nearly annihilated. In the.se 
movements the Eighty-eighth Kegiment, of Ha.vter's Brigade, Kobinson's Divi- 
sion, had full share. 

Bates, the historian of Pennsylvania regiments, .says: "■ As there was a gap 
between the First and Eleventh Corps, Doubleday ordered Kobinson to send 
one of his brigades, that of Baxter, to fill it. The latter ariived in time to 
meet the enemj-'s advance, but his small brigade proved insufficient to measure 
the open space, a:id, though fighting gallantly, driving back the enemy, and 
taking many prisoners and tliree battle-fiags, he was constantly outflanked and 
exposed to a hot and enfilading fire.'' Again he says: 

•'And when the troops of Baxter dashed gallantly forward, the rebels, see- 
ing themselves pushed on three sides, surrendered in large numbers, and were 
swept into the Union lines. '" 

And again: — 

" Repeated assaults were made upon Paul and Baxter, . ith ever fresh troops, 
as if determined to break through and bear down all before them. But more 
daring and skilful leaders than Baxter, Paul and Kobin.son were not in the 
whole army, and their men were of the same spirit, and though sufi'eriug 
grievously at every fresh onset, hurled back the foe and maintained their 
ground intact." 

The portion of the battle referred to in these quotations, occurred upon the 
spot upon which we now stand. On arriving here, we first faced to the north 
on the Mummasburg road: then we changed front, to the left, at right angles 
to this road, facing west. The charge referred to was led by the Eighty-eighth, 
Company D to the front, down that declivity to the small stream in the hollow, 
where our granite tablet now marks the limit of advance. Many prisoners 
were taken; and two of the three battle-flags spoken of were taken by this 
regiment, that of the Twenty-third Xorth Carolina and that of the Twenty- 
sixth Alabama.* 

Upon this spot the fight raged long and fiercely, but our line was not broken; 
unfortunately, that was not the case across the Mummasburg road, where stood 
the men of the Eleventh Corps. Their line was badly extended and very thin; 
the distance to be covered being too long for the number of men available to 
occupy it. Heavy masses of the enemy were thrown against it, breaking 
through and threatening our right and rear. The First Corps had now been in 
the fight from five to six hours, and had successfirlly maintained itself against 
repeated and constant assaults without support or relief; but when it- was 

* General Iverson, of the rebel army, whose brigade we encountered hei'e, says, in his 
official report, " The enemy * * * charged in overwhelming force upon and captured 
nearly all that were unhurt in three regiments of my brigade. "When I saw white 
handkerchiefs raised and my line of battle still lying down in position I characterized 
the surrender as disgraceful ; but when I found afterward that 500 of mj- men were left 
lying dead and wounded in a line as straight as a dress parade, I e.vonerated the sur- 
vivors and claim for the brigade that they nobly fought and died, without a man run- 
ning to the rear. No greater gallantry and heroism has Ijeen displa.ved during the war. 



476 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

known tliat tlic right of the corps had hcen turned, and that tlic Eleventh 
Corps was tailing back, it became evident that the position that liad been s(> 
long and gallantly defended must be giveu up. "Baxter's Brigade, which had 
fought with stubborn bravery upon the right, was brought to the rear of the 
ridge, at the railroad cut, where it defended a battery, and still held the enemy 
advancing from the north in clieck." 

General Doubleday, the commander of the First Corps, describes the situa- 
tion at this time in these words: "So far I had done all that was possible to 
defend my front, but circumstances were becoming desiierate. My line was 
very thiu and weak, and my last reserves had been thrown in. As we had 
positive information that the entire rebel army was coming on, it was evident 
enough that we could not continue an}' longer unless some other corps came to 
our assistance. I had previously sent an aide to ask General Howard to rein- 
force me from Steiuwehr"s Division, but he declined to do .so. I now sent my 
adjutant-general to reiterate my request, or to obtain for me an order to re- 
treat, as it was impo.ssible for me to remain where I was in the face of the con- 
stantly increasing forces which were approaching from the west. Howard re- 
fused to order me to retire. The First Corps had sutfered severely in these en- 
counters, but by this additional delay and the overwhelming odds against us 
it was almost totally sacrificed. General Wadsworth reported half of his men 
killed or wounded, and Rowley's Division suffered in the same proportion. 
General Robinson had two horses shot under him. He reported a loss of 1,667 
out of 2,500. About this time the Eleventh Corps gave way on the right, the 
Confederate forces made their final advance in double lines backed by strong 
reserves, and it was impossible for the few men left in the First Corps to keep 
them back, especially as Pender's large division overlapped our left for a quar- 
ter of a mile. Robinson's right was turned. Under these circumstances it be- 
came a serious question how to extricate the First Corps and save its artillery 
before it was entirely surrounded and captured. Each brigade was flanked and 
assailed in front and on both flanks. Robinson was forced back towards the 
seminarj', but halted, notwithstanding the pressure upon him, and formed line 
to save Stewart's Batter}' north of the railroad cut, which had remained too 
long and was in danger of being captured. As the enemy was closing in upon 
us, and cra.shes of musketry came from my right and left, I had little hope of 
saving mj' guns, but I threw my head(iuarters' guard into the seminary and 
kept the right of Scales' Brigade back twenty minutes longer, while the left 
was held by Baxter's Brigade of Robinson's Division. Soon, however, we were 
as.sailed in front and on both flanks, which cau.sed a retreat along the railroad 
bed into and through the town to Cemetery Hill, where fhe line was once more 
reformed and establi.shed."' Thus ended the first day's fight. 

The First Corps, composed of three divisions of two brigades each — in all six 
brigades of twenty-nine regiments — had resisted for many hours the repeated 
and constant attempts made to dislodge it from its jiosition by portions of two 
corps of the rebel army containing the divisions of Ifeth, Pender and Ixodes, of 
thirteen brigades of fifty-eight regiments, while the Eleventh Corps had two 
divisions of two brigades each — in all four brigades of eighteen regiments — in 
its line of battle, engaging Early's Division of Ewell's Corps, of four brigades 
of sixteen regiments. 

How many men were in these diflorent divisions, brigades and regiments, is 
not ascertainable, but good authorities estimate that the First CorjjS had in this 



Pennsylvania at (refhislnini. 477 

light ;iV)out 8.20U men, :mtl tluil tlie Klcventh Cdijis luul ubout <i..")00, whifh, 
with But'ortrs Cavalry of about 2,500 iiicii, would make our total foi-ce on the 
field of battle about 17,000 lueu, not iucludiug the reserve division of Steiii- 
wehr, which remained on Cemetery Hill and did not get into action. 

At this time the whole rebel army was composed of three corps of three 
divisions each, or in all nine divisions of 69,000 men, making an average of 
7,666 to a division: or, say for the four divisions in the first day's light, a total 
of 30,666. 

"What the losses Avere, on this day. of tlie troops engaged, it is impossible to 
say, as there is no separate return for the first day's battle: the aggregate for 
the whole battle for three days being the only record that sliows the losses of 
these troops. These aggregate as follows: 

Union Army : 

First Corps (excluding Stannard's Brigade),* r),67;i 

Eleventh Corps (except Steinwehr's Division),* 2,855 

Buford's Cavalry (except Sixth United States Cavahy),* .... 176 

8,704 

Echcl Army: 

Ewell's Corps, Early's Division, 1,188 

'■ Kodes' Division, 2,853 

Hill's Corps. Heth's Division, 2,850 

" Pender's Division 1,690 

8,581 

The Union loss includes 3,882 prisoners, most of whom were captured after 

both tlanks of our line had been turned. Tlie rebel loss includes 1,580 pris- 
oners, mainly of Archer's, Iverson's, O'Neal's and Daniel's brigades, who were 
captured in the various assaults made. 

The total forces engaged during the three days" ])attle, according to the best 
authorities, were: 

On the Union side, 83,000 

On the rebel side, 69,000 

Total 152,000 

The total casualties were: 

Union army, , 22,900, or about 27 jjer cent. 

Rebel army, 20.488, " 29 '• 

Total, both armies, . 43,388, " 28-] *' 

While the First Corps shows a loss of about (i9 per cent, of the numl)er en- 
gaged. 

These figures clearly tell the story of the persistent valor of the First Corps, 
and answer those in doubt as to whether there was "mucli of a fight" on the 
first day; in fact, they prove that the heaviest fighting of all was on the 1st 
day, because of the total loss of the troops of the First and Eleventh Corps 
and Buford's Cavalry, that fought on that day, nearly all were sustained along 
this line and on that day, and showing a total of 8,704 out of the whole loss of 

* Not engaged on first day. 



478 I'cniisijh-auio at (ietl ushnrg. 

tin- luion aiinv ol' ±2,iM)U. or 08 jier cent., wliile tlic iiuiuIkm eiifiiijied \v»-i<- l»iit 
'20 per cent, ol" tlie whole force. 

The Fir-st Corps hud engaged about .s,20() men. out of a total of the Union 
army of 83,000, or say le.s.s than 10 per cent., while its total los.ses during the 
battle were 6,024 out of a total in the army of 2i,900, or over 2f) per cent. 
lu other words, had the whole Union army suliered in the same proportion as 
the First Corps, the loss would have been 60,590, instead of 22,900. There was 
•' right .smart " ("' as oar friends, the enemy would say ") of alight ou the first 
day of July, 1863, at Oak Kidge and Seminary Hill, and you, men of the 
Kighty-eiglith, bore your full .share ol the perils and glories of that day. 

In farther illustration of the severity of the lighting on tlie lirst day, a table 
of comparison of the casualties is herewith annexed. 

The evening of .July 1 found the remnants of the First and Eleventh Corps 
on Cemetery Hill. Meanwhile General Hancock had arrived aud relieved 
General Howard of the command, which had fallen to liim, as senior officer 
present, on the death of General Reynolds. A new line of battle was at once 
formed. Wadsworth's Division of the First Corps being posted on Culp's Hill, 
to the left of him, on Cemetery Hill, stood the Eleventh Corps, then came Double- 
day's Division of the First Corps, aud then Robin.son's Division of the same 
corps. Divisions had by this time been reduced in numbers to less than small 
brigades, brigades to less than regiments, and regiments to le.ss than ordinary 
full companies. My company, for example, when we arrived at the bill, con- 
sisted of three enlisted men and myself: by the next morning I had. however, 
managed to gather up enough to show eleven good lighting men. 

On the arrival of two divisions of the Third Corps, they prolonged the line 
to the left; later came the Twelfth Corps, which for the time being was held 
in re.serve, but was afterwards put on the right of Wadsworth, and extended 
our line in that direction. Early on the morning of July 2, the Second Corps 
arrived, also two divisions of the Fifth Corps (the other division of said corps 
reached the field about noon I; also two brigades of the Third Corps; the Artil- 
lery Reserve arrived at 10::50 a. m., while the Sixth Corps (the largest in the 
armv), which was at Manchester, nearly forty miles away, did not reach the 
field until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 

On .Tuly 2, the line was as follows: The First and Eleventh Corps, a.s pdstcd 
on the night of the 1st, occupying Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill ; then, to the 
left, came the Second Corps; then the Third Corps; the Twelfth Corps on the 
extreme right of the line, its left touching Wadsworth's Division: the Fifth 
Cori)s temporarily in reserve, ])ut in the afternoon advanced into line on tl:c 
left of the Third Corps, and extending to Round Top. 

Meanwhile the rebel line had also gotten into position, liwell's Corps was 
formed on our front, opposite the Twelfth, l^leventh and First Corps of our 
army; then, to his right (our left), came Hill's and Long.street's corp.s, facing 
the Second, Third and Fifth corps of our army; Pettigrew's Divi.sion of Hill's 
Corjjs in reserve, and Law's Brigade of Hood's Division and Pickett's Division 
not yet arrived. 

The morning and the early i)art of tlie alternoon of the second day were spent 
in getting into position and planning forms of attack. (Jeneral Meade, at dawn, 
commenced to form his lines lor an attack from our right on Ewell's Corjjs of 
the rebel left, l)at that being finally decided inadvisable, changed his jdans and 
began posting his troops on our left, ^\ith the view of attacking the enemy's 



Peiinsijlvania at Ge(f//sbur<j. 479 

right. Meanwhile, Lee was conceutratinji his ibices for an attack l)y jjong- 
street's Corps (his right) on our left; Ewell's Corps, on the extreme rebel left, 
to attack our extreme right at the same time, in order to help Ijon<j;street. 

These movements were slow, but the attack was finally delivered with great 
force and spirit on the Third and Fifth Corps, which resulted in the lighting at 
Wheattield, Peach Orcliard, Devil's Den and Round Top. Our troops were 
driven from the Peach Orchard, and our line was pierced ; but reinforcements 
arriving Irom the right, the tide was driven back and the rebel attacks repulsed. 
These reinforcements included portions of the First, Second and Twelfth cori)s, 
and among them was Robinson's Division, in which was the Eighty-eightli, 
which did its full share in the repulse. The position of the regiment on that 
line is marked b}' a granite tablet. 

The stripping of the right of tlie line to reinforce the left, was EwclTs op- 
}X)rtunity. Johnson's Division crossed Kock Creek, and soon discovered that 
tlie strong breastworks thrown up on our right were emptj'; he at once oc- 
cupied them and endeavored to turn our riglit flank, but was repulsed; push- 
ing: further to the right, he found nothing to oppose him, and advanced steadily 
far to the rear of our right flank, but darkness had come on and .lohnson halted, 
fearing a trap. This halt was our .salvation. The attack of Longstreet having 
been repulsed, the Twelfth Corps endeavored to return to its former position, 
on our right, which had been occupied by Johnson in its ab.sence. Finding 
their entrenchments in the hands of the enemy, the men slept upon their arms, 
and at the l)reak of day attacked the rebel line, and after a long and vigorous 
light succeeded: and by 11 o'clock had retaken their fortified positions and re- 
stored the line of battle. 

We have now come to the third and last day of this battle, resulting in a 
complete victory for the Union forces. The Eighty-eighth has returned from 
the left, and is now posted in Ziegler's Grove, in the rear of Cemetery Hill; the 
spot being now marked ])j' a granite tablet. About 1 o'clock p. m. there opens 
a perfect pandemonium of artillery firing, the like of which was probably never 
heard l)efore or since. About one hundred and fifty of the rebel cannon are 
playing at once on a point in our line, and that point is the brigade joining our 
left. About one hundred and fifty of our cannon are vigorously returning the 
salute: the air is thick with shot, and mother-earth has suddenly become very 
dear, and is embraced most ardently by the brave "boys in blue '' thAt are in 
range ol this terrific hail of lead and iron : but this Avas but a prelude to a more 
terrible scene to come. Cannonading at long range, such as this, is more ter- 
rifying to the nerves than damaging to the body; tons of balls go over our heads 
harmlessly, few do damage — the main object of it all is to " knock out " and 
silence our batteries, for an assault is to be delivered on our line by intantry, 
and batteries firing grape and canister at short range on attacking columns 
are very destructive. The cannonading having ceased, the infantry column 
comes into sight; steadily but surely it approaches our line, our firing plows 
great gaps through them, but still they come — our line is reached, and with a 
rush and a spring they are on us. Now tromes a hand-to-hand conflict between 
Pickett's Division of Virginians with Webb's Philadelpliia I5rigade. For a 
moment the line appears to be lost, but reinforcements from the right and left 
are quickly thrown in (among them the Eighty-eighth); the attack is repulsed, 
and Pickett's Division of Longstreet's Corps, supported by Wilcox's Brigade 
and Pettigrew's Brigade, both of Hill's Corps, are hurled back by Gibbon's and 



480 Pe.nnsylvania at Gettysburg. 

Hays' divisions of the Second Corps, and Doubleda3''sand Robinson's divisions 
of the First Corps; and tlie battle of Gettj'sburg is practically at an end. 

It will be seen by this narrative, that the Eighty-eighth did its full share on 
the different days and in the various stages of this great battle. On the night 
of June 30, it was on picket duty; on July 1, with Baxter's Brigade, Robin- 
son's Division, First Army Corps, at Oak Hill and Seminary Ridge; on Julj^ 2, 
it was, part of the day, at Cemeterj' Hill, and in the afternoon went on the 
" double-quick "' as part of Robinson's Division, and a.ssisted in the repulse of 
Longstreet's attack ou the Third and Fifth Corps, between Peach Orchard and 
Round Top; on July 3, at Ziegler's Grove, in the rear of Cemetery Hill, and 
from there, ou the " double-quick," to assist in the repulse of Pickett's charge 
on tlie left of Cemetery Hill. 

Men of the Eighty-eighth, every duty that you were called upon to perform 
on these eventful days, you did to the utmost, without complaint, but cheer- 
fully and freely ; but at what a sacrifice it was ! The regiment went into action 
two hundred and ninety-six strong; ten were killed and one hundred wounded 
or captured. Let me read the names of the heroic dead : Company A, Wil- 
liam Beaumont ; Company B. Sergeant Henry Evans ; Company C, Michael Hol- 
licher and Charles A. Zazier; Company E, Jacob Audrewsand Joseph R. Bruner; 
Company H, Robert Simons ; Company I, David Harland and John Link ; Com- 
pany K, John Corn. 

The officers commanding the regiment during the engagement were, first, 
Major B. F. Foust, who was wounded soon after the beginning of the fight ; 
the command then devolved on, second, Captain (since lieutenant-colouelj E. 
A. Mass, who was captured during the charge made on Iverson's Brigade on 
the first day ; third, Captain Henry ^Yhiteside, Company A, who assumed 
command after the capture of Captain Mass, and directed the ojierations of the 
regiment towards the close of the first day, and also during the remaining days 
of the battle. 

The company commanders, were, Company A, Captain Henry Whiteside, 
Company B, Captain Edmund A. IVIass, who, together with both of his lieuten- 
ants (George W. Grant and Samuel G. Boone), were captured and carried south. 
Company C, Lieutenant Alexander Gardiner, Jr. Company D, Lieutenant 
George E, Wagner ; Company E, Captain Joseph H. Richards ; Company F, 
Captain George B. Rhoads ; Company G, Captain Henry Korn ; Company H, 
Lieutenant Henry E. Quimby ; Company I, Captain George L. Schell (who was 
captured) ; Company K, Lieutenant Sylvester IL ^Martin. 

The patriotic impulses of the people of this great Commonwealth, as exem- 
plified by their legislature of 1887. paved tlie way to this form of ever keeping 
in remembrance the suffering and sacrifice of her citizen soldier.s. During the 
session of that year, a general law was passed making an appropriation of 
$1,500 for a memorial for each Pennsylvania regiment that fought on this field. 

The Survivors' Association of the Eighty- eighth had submitted to it many de- 
signs, and adopted the one that has resulted in the beautiful memorial that 
stands before us. Having chosen the design which required an expenditure 
far in excess of the State appropriation, energetic and successful action was im- 
mediately taken to supply the funds that were needed. 

To-day we are assembled to dedicate this memorial in commemoration of the 
heroic deeds of this valiant regiment ; and, as we look upon it and see heaped 
there the emblems of grim and ghastly strife and war, let us express the fervent 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 



481 



hope that never again niuy this land be called upon to send its sons to follow 
the rattling drum or the piercing tile, nor to hear the whistling miuie bullet 
or the belcliing cannon, but ratlier that peace, blessed peace, .sliall be ours and 
the inheritance of our children and our children's children unto the remotest 
day of time. 

Getty.sburg ! A uame, before the eventful days of July, 1863, known only 
to the people of this locality, but then made famous and renowned to all parts 
of the earth — a name that will be celebrated to the most distant ages of the 
world — a name that will be forever historic, made so by the brave men who 
here stood in the defense of their country's laws and flag. Where are these men? 
Some lie dead beneath your feet ; the bones of others lie bleaching upon many 
other southern battle-fields ; others have fallen a prey to disease or age, whilst 
but a remnant of the grand old Army of the Potomac is left to participate in the 
reunion of this day. 

Getty.sburg ! The slaughter on your fields was not in vain ; from your greeu 
slopes the tide of rebellion ebbed and shrank, until, month by month, it sank 
lower and lower, and finally disappeared, and at last the old flag floated once 
more over " a union, one and inseparable." 

Comparative Table showing Losaca of the Army of the Potomac, of the Armi/ of 
Northern Virginia, of the Troops who fought the tirst day, and their several ratios. 





Engaged. 


KiLLKl) AND WOUNDEP. 


u 

0) 

a 

c 


Total casualties. 


2^ 

X 01 


Troops. 


Number. 


Ratio to num 
bers engaged. 

1 


Ratio of total lo 
numbers enga 


Army of the. Potomac: 

Troops engaged on first day. . 
Balance of army, 


17.000 
Wi.OOO 


4.822 
12,905 


28.3 
19.5 


3,882 
1,371 


8.704 
14,286 


51.2 
21.6 


Total 


83.000 


17,727 


21.3 


5,253 

1,.580 
3,570 


22,990 

8,581 
11,867 


27.7 






23.3 
21.2 




Army of Xorthern Virginia: 

Troops engaged on first day. . 
Balance of army 


30.000 
39,000 


7,001 

8,297 


28.6 
30.4 


Total 


ti9.090 


15.298 


22.1 


6,150 
JO, 403 

2,190 

1,B77 

15 


20,448 
43,388 

5,673 
2,855 

176 


29.6 


Total, both armies, 


152,000 


32.985 


21.7 


28.0 


Union troops engaged on first 
day: 


8,200 
(i,500 
2,500 


3,483 

1.178 

161 


42.2 
18.1 
6.1 


39 2 


Eleventh Corps. t 

Buford's Cavalry, t 


43.9 
7.1 


Total, 


7.200 


4.822 


28.3 


3.882 


8,704 


51.3 







* Excluding Stannard's Brigade, 
t Excluding Steinwehr's Division. 
JE.TcIuding Sixth Regiment U. S. Cavalry. 



None of which were engaged on tir.st day. 



Taking the aggregate loss of both armies as a basis, the ratio of loss, ns be- 
tween their .several parts, shows as follows : — 



31 



482 PeMnsylvania af Geftyshiirg. 

/{atiii. 

\Vhole loss, both aniiifs 28.5ol iiunibcr engagea=100.0 

Array of the Potomar, '27.7 ■ ' 97.1 

Army of Northern Viruinia 39.6 '" " 108.8 

Union side, first (lay, •■>1.2 '' " 179.6 

Kebel side, fii-st (lay, ^28.6 • '• UMM 

I'nion army, first da\ : 

Uatio. 

First Corps 69.2 «>f number engaged=242.8 

Eleventh Corps, -l:;.!* • " 154.0 

JUiford's Cavalrv, 7.1 ■' 24.» 



DEDICATION Ol" MONUMENT 

90"^" REGIMENT INFANTRY 

.Skptkmkkk 3, 1 888 
ADDRE.SS OK i; RE VET-COLONEL A. J. SELLERS 

C COMRADES, ladies and gentlemen: (iettysburg! If ever there be con- 
secrated ground, then can you well .say. naught is more hallowed except 
the Dath the Savior of the world wended, as he ascended the rugged 
hei'dits of Calvary. As he died lor llic salvation of men. so our com- 
lades died to make men Iree. 

(iettysburg. .so often (juoted as ilie high watermark of the rebellion, was truly 
the turning point in the war for the preservation of the Union. The magnitude 
of the contliet, and its far-reaching conse(iuenees, give it rank among the world's 
treatest battles. .\s theyeais roll by its interest increases, and these memorial 
shafts are erected in commemoration of the great deeds of the heroes who here 
gave their all, their lives, that the Nation should, under God, have a new birth 
of freedom, and that the government of the people, by the people and for the 
l)eople should not perish from the earth. So spoke the immortal Lincoln, on 
yonder hill, in 18():'>. 

•• If General Lee wants jjiovisions, let him go and look for them in I'enn.syl- 
vania,'" was the reply sent irom the Richmond authorities ; and this was tin- 
popular Southern feeling. For this ])urpose did we find General Lee massing 
his forces in Pennsylvania. July. 18615, concentrating in the vicinity of Gettys- 
burg. Ewell and Early had pa.ssed through the town a few days before, ap- 
parently marching on Harrisburg. witii Philadelphia and Washington as oIjicc- 
tive points. .Vscertaining that the I'nion army was in closer iiroximity than 
he had anticipated, he inicndcd to sick a dclciisivc; position, and so a.ssured his. 
lieutenants thinking he would have ample lime to .select and occupy such a 
one. Getty.sburg was the point of concentration decided upon, by way of the 
southern and western routes. General Meade was (Miually desirous of securing 
the advantage of a defensive ))osition. and he .selected tor the advance two of 
his subordinate men, noted for ijuickness of perception, promptness )f decision 
and gallantry on the battle-field K'eynolds and Ruford— to operate his left 
Hank. 

J'.iiford tor)k in the situational once, and on the early morning of . I ul.^■ 1, dis- 








^HOTO. BY W. H. TIPTON, GETTYSBURG. 



Pmnsi/Jrania at Geftyshunj. 483 

inonnted his two brigades, (iambic's aiul Devins, icdncingtheiehy liisfomniand 
one-fourth to care for the liorses ; and at .d)out 8 o'eloek in the morning tiie cav- 
alry engaged Heth's Division of Hill'sTliird Corps Infantry, Archer's and Davis' 
brigades, they supposing their opponents were infantry. A severe struggle took 
place on the banks of Willoughl)y Run. Jiuford liad his artillery admirably 
posted, llisobject was simply to retard the enemy until Reynolds' First Corps, 
which was near at hand, could be placed in position ; they having that morn- 
ing made a forced marcli from Marsli Creek, about five miles from Gettysburg. 

The gallant Reynolds, having been informed of the opening of the battle l)y 
Buford, proceeded in advance of his infantry column, following the sound of 
battle, at full gallop, to l)ring the assurance of sj)eedy relief to our cavalry and 
its valiant chieftain. And here I desire to speak of the magnificent stand nuide 
by our gallant troox)er.s, pitted against Hill's veteran inl'antry. 

The First Corps was on the lead in the march from Mar.sh Creek and Em- 
niitsburg, Avhere it had bivouacked lor the night of J une 80 ; the Ninetieth that 
day having made a nuirch of twenty-three miles, through mud and rain. Gen- 
eral Reynolds commanded the First Corps and tlie advance of the Army of the 
Potomac — the First, Eleventh and Third Corps. Soon after his arrival, aljout 
i).45 o'clock a. m., in making disposition ot his command, he was too early 
made immortal, and in the glory of his manhood (but forty-three years of age i, 
rapidly rising to the zenith of I'ame— he fell upon his native soil, a martyi- to 
his country, and lamented throughout every loyal state of the land he loved. 
The position selected for the First Corps, under the direction of General Rey- 
nolds, was an inferior one, in comparison to the stragetic one of Cemetery Hill, 
and knowing that the enemy were in advance of u.s, and that Lee's forces could 
be concentrated somewhat sooner, he chose the more indefensible one to li:.:;lit 
upon, so that in the event of disaster, our advancing troops could occupy and 
fortify Cemetery Hill, a powerful line of defense, with Gulp's and Powers' Hills 
on the right and the two Round Tops on the left. As he approached Gettysburg 
lie noticed the magnificent position of Cemetery Hill : itcouldnot, in fact, have 
escaped his trained militar}' e\^e. Had he occujjied that position on the first 
day, the overwhelming numbers of Ewell's and Hill's Corps, would have driven 
the First and Eleventh Corps from it, and perhaps precipitated adi.saster dread- 
ful to contemplate. 

Cutler's Brigade of Wadsworth's Division (Seventy-sixth and One hundred 
and forty-seventh New York and Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers} led the 
advance of the First Corps, facing the west, north of the then unfinished rail- 
road. The Ninety-fifth New York, Fourteenth Brooklyn, with Hall's Second 
Maine Battery, were located south of the railroad cut. The Fifty-sixth Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers, Colonel J. W. Hofmann, of Philadelphia, delivered the 
first infantry volley. On their left was the road from Chambersburg to Gettys- 
burg, and still further to the left was the Hagerstown road; upon these roads 
Hill's Corps was moving. Between these roads is the historic Re3 nolds' Grove, 
extending westward to Willoughby Run. Both armies wanted possession of 
these woods to cover their movements. General Reynolds ordered the Iron 
Brigade to enter. They pushed forward aud were confronted by Archer's Ten- 
nessee Brigade, who had just crossed the run, and by a brilliant movement of 
Fairchild's Second Wisconsin and Colonel Morrow's Twenty-fourth Michigan, 
of the Iron Brigade, turned the riglit fiank of the Confederates, capturing 
.several regiments (upwards of five hundred men >, including their brigade com- 



484 I*eimsylvania at GeW/'<h>ir(f. 

inaudei, General Archer, driving the remainder of the lirigade beyond the 
stream at the bayonet's point. 

Pending this movement is when tlie galhint Keynohls fell, supposed to ha\ t- 
been shot In' a sharpshooter. Heth's Division now pressed forward upon our 
right flank and attacked Cutler's Brigade, front and flank, they having located 
en evhcloit. Hall's Second Maine Battery here lost a gun, which Avas sub.se- 
<iuently recaptured. Two regiments of Davis' Mississippians, to avoid a wither- 
ing concentrated fire, were forced into the lailroad cut and there captured, with 
their colors. This fortunate occurrence partially relieved Cutler's Brigade. 
During a lull, Heth reorganized his shattered division to await the assistance 
of Pender's Division, for a fresh attack. Four weakened brigades had been 
contending with eight well filled Confederate brigades, who here found out 
that their sudden attacks en mnsse were more dangerous and more difficult of 
execution along the open country of Penn.sylvania, than among the thickly 
wooded settlements of Virginia, where they did not stand in dread of slanting 
fires. The remainder of the First Corps were marching into position on the 
right, it being Doubleday's and Kobiuson's divisions, the former commanded 
by General Rowley, Doubleday having succeeded Reynolds. At the same time 
Pender's Confederate Division was being deployed and the engagement re- 
newed with increased vigor. 

The Bucktail Brigade, under Colonel Roy Stone, was now placed north and 
adjoining the Reynolds' Grove, fighting with conspicuous bravery, shouting 
" we have come to stay;'' and Biddle's Brigade, located south of the grove 
(facing the west), with no wood to rest upon to disguise its weakness, was our 
extreme left, where they felt the power of the immense force arrayed against 
them. Rowley's Brigade, under Colonel Biddle, controuted what seemed to be 
a division coming down upon their front from the west and .south in heavy 
lines, and upon his flank Brockenbrough's Virginians emerged under cover of 
the woods. Cooper's Union battery was wheeled into position. Terrible rents 
were made in the advancing lines, but closing up they came on undaunted. 
Hill at this time had Pender's Division of four brigades, and Heth's four, mak- 
ing eight large brigades to six of the P'irst Corps. Pender and Heth by this 
time develojied their full strength and faced the thirst Corps with nearly three 
times as many men, and their line connected on their left with Rodes" Division 
of Ewell's Corps, who had so opportunely arrived from Carlisle. At this junc- 
ture our regiment, the Ninetieth Pennsylvania Volunteers, went into position 
under the fire of the guns stationed on Oak Hill, and we, being on the extreme 
right of the Finst Corps, were obliged to in part refuse, or face the north. Our 
general line of battle was facing the west, frequently en echelon, and uijon our 
regimental front was O'Neal's Alabama Brigade, and Page's Virginia Battery 
stationed at the red barn, where they sutfered so severely, losing fully one-half 
their men in killed and wounded. Up;)!) Oak Hill, enfilading our line of battle, 
was Carter's liattalion of Artillery, liodes' line of battle facing the south, and 
east, Iverson on our left, Daniel and O'Neal in the center, and Doles far l^e- 
yond, whose direct line of fire was to the left of the Eleventh Corps; Ram- 
seur's Brigade was in reserve, but subsequently engaged. A portion of our 
brigade took advantage of a stone fence, whicli protected us from view, and as 
Iverson's North Carolinians advanced, which was about 2.30 o'clock, we de- 
livered such a deadly volley at very short range, that death's mission was with 
unerring certainty, and so destructive were the volleys we rapidly delivered 



Peimsiilvauid. at (reft //.shun/. 485 

that we I'ollowed it up with a charge, oitierecl by the plucky Baxter, which le- 
sulted iu the capture of three regiments of the britiade. This was a decisive 
blow, but we could not withstand the succeeding lines of battle, and the en- 
filading artillery fire from Oak Hill. Confederate KcmIcs, in his report, si)eaks 
of his command being subjected to a murderous enfilade and direct infantry 
fire from the time it commenced its advance. 

O'Neal's troops felt confident of turning our right— the force of the attack 
fell upon the Ninetieth Pennsylvania Volunteers, your regiment — but they 
were repulsed with heavy loss and the remnants thereof hurled back; no longer 
did they attempt an advance, until we were later on ordered to a position near 
the seminary, under cover of the woods. The brigade of North Carolinians, 
under Ramseur, and O'Neal's Alabamians were held iu check by the undaunted 
courage of the gallant Robinson and his troops. The unusually large number 
of Confederate officers killed and wounded, as well as our own, attest to the 
severity of the conflict and the daring of the First Corps. Six brigades con- 
stituted the corps, commanded by Meredith, Morrow, Robinson. Cutler, Bid- 
die, Roy Stone, Paul, Wistar, Dana, Ijconard and Baxter, and repeatedly 
thwarted the brilliant charges made by an equally valiant foe. Six of these 
brigade commanders were wounded. For over five houi-s the corps held the 
enemy in check. At last another desperate attack by Daniel, of Rodes' Divi- 
sion, was made on Roy Stone's Brigade. The enemy, unable to make any im- 
pression upon Baxter's and Paul's Brigades of Robinson's Division, the blow 
fell with withering effect iiixtii Roy Stone, shortly before 3 o'clock. In two 
lines the enemy moved forward, parallel to the pike, but the One hundred and 
forty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers sheltered themselves behind the railroad 
cut, the One hundred and forty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, Colonel Dana, 
on the right and rear of the One hundred and forty-ninth. The One hundred 
and forty-ninth, Colonel Dwight, poured two terrific volleys, and by a brilliant 
bayonet charge, magnificently supported by the remainder of the brigade, broke 
their lines, and in dismay they fell back, a beaten foe. Davis' Brigade, of 
Hill's Corps, failed to co-operate. "Wistar succeeded to the command. Colonel 
Roy Stone being wounded. Once more they moved against the Bucktails 
(Daniel's and Davis' brigades), from the northwest, only to be again repulsed; 
as also in a subsequent attack, the One hundred and fiftieth Pennsylvania 
Volunteers, under command of Colonel Huidekoper, distinguishing itself by 
brilliant fighting, ending in a bayonet charge. Huidekoper, though badly 
wounded, held his position. Here Colonel Wistar, of the One hundred and 
fiftieth Pennsylvania Volunteers, commanding the brigade, was wounded, 
Colonel Dana succeeding him. 

Frequent assaults were made upon Paul's and Baxter's brigades (the latter 
including the Ninetieth Pennsylvania Volunteers), but they stubbornly held 
the ground, and would not be driven from their position, until their ammuni- 
tion began to grow scarce, some having fired their last cartridge, and were sup- 
plied from the boxes of their killed and wounded comrades. Their position 
now became untenable, from the numericalb^ overwhelming superiority of our 
foes, who were taking advantage of the gap in our line of battle on our right. 

It was then shortly after 3 o'clock, and the two divisions of the Eleventh 
Corjis had been routed; the First Corps was still continuing the struggle in the 
position it had been defending since morning. Doubleday, appreciating the 
new danger to which he was about to be exposed, sent to General Howard for 



486 Pennsylvania at GeUyslmrg. 

iiiimetliato i<>iiiluiTeni(;nts, or tlic order ol' retreat. The only support he otTered 
Doubledav was Uulnrd's cavalry, who at the time was covering with difficulty 
the retreat of his corps on the extreme right. Reynolds' men can never forget 
liow near they were to being .sacrificed. Howard was subsequently superseded 
by Hancock, a junior officer, who had arrived upon the tield of action, about 
4.:;0 o'clock. Pender's Division of eighteen regiments replaced Heth's Divi- 
sion of exhausted and discouraged troops. Pender, about 3.30 o'clock, assails 
the three small brigades of Stone, Morrow and Biddle, now reduced to 1,500. 
Rodes" Division of Ewell's Cor]>s, no longer assailed by the Eleventh Corps, 
turn in for a general attack, supported ))y thirty pieces of artillery, and make 
a rapid descent upon the stone wall, ))ehind which a portion of Robinson's 
Division was jiosted, and thus apparently hemmed in, the order was given to 
abandon the position we so gallantly had maintained. 

It was at this time that General Paul, who commanded the First Brigade, 
was so severely wounded in the head, losing both eyes, and the adjutant of our 
regiment, David P. Weaver, acting brigade adjutant-general, was so severely 
wounded; and for all this undaunted courage, the First Corps was, by a gen- 
eral officer of another corps, unfairly criticised, because two regiments of Cut- 
ler's Brigade, sooner than be annihilated or captured, were ordered to fall back 
early in the light, under cover of Seminary Ridge; but the}* subseiiuently re- 
turned, achieved brilliant lustre by their heroic conduct and manfully held 
their position with the brigade. Our men made a firm resistance around the 
seminary, to which point we withdrew, under cover of the woods, and by the 
aid of our batteries xrnder Colonel Wainwright, chief of First Corps artillery, 
beat back the first line of Scales' North Carolina Brigade, wounding both Gen- 
erals Scales and Pender. 

Scales says, that he arrived within seventy-five feet of our guns, and adds 
that every field officer but one was killed or wounded. General Doubleday, 
in his re})ort. gives to Baxter's Brigade of Robinson's Division, of which the 
Ninetieth Pennsylvania Volunteers was a part, the credit of holding in check 
the left of Scales' North Carolina Brigade, while our artillery withdrew along 
the railroad embankment; a portion of the Ninetieth having been in support 
of Stewart's Battery B, Fourth United States Artillery, north of the railroad 
cut. With all our casualties, the First Corps lost but one gun (Reynolds' New- 
York Battery), the horses having been shot, and there being no time to disen- 
gage them. 

About 4.1.") J), m. (Jeneral Doubleday ordered us to fall back tVom the semi- 
nary into the town, the Eleventh Corps having been already driven therein. 
and many captured in the streets of (iettysburg. It was a stubborn retire- 
ment Scales', Daniel's. Ram.seur's and O'Neal's Brigades almost surrounded 
us, — liobinson's men being the last to vacate Seminary Ridge. The First 
Corps was broken, but not dismayed, showing the true spirit of soldiers. They 
reached the gate of the cemetery on the hill, which was our rallying point. 1 
call to your mind that this magnificent fighting by the First Corps was a single 
line, unsupported, vinrenewed — artillery on its front and right flank — and 
chiefly unprotected by breastworks. It was a series of brilliant charges and 
counter-charges. Could there have been a corps uj) at that time to support the 
First, how decisive might have been the results. A gallant resistance was 
made by it l)etween Willoughby Run and Seminary (or Oak) Ridge, against 
superior numbers, viz.. Heth's and Pender's Divisions of Hill's Confederate 



Peniisy/vanid (if (Teffyshuif/. 487 

Corps, who, by tlieir own vastly iinderestiinatcd report of 1 ">,()()(), and lour 
Ijri-iades of Kodes' Division of Ewell's Corps of H.OOO, in all ;i3,000, marched 
against the galhmt First Corps, numbering 8,200 maximum (three to one), and 
not until 4 o'clock p. m., did they succeed in dislodging the First Corps from 
their position. The records of war present no instance of more gallant, st\ib- 
lt.)rn and persistent lighting than that offered l)y Ivcynolds" men. 

You will observe that the series of repeated a.ssaults on our line were isolated 
attacks by brigades, and changes ol front were frecjuent. ()j>en mananivring 
of troops was more fully carried out on the lirst day's ])attle than is usual, on 
account of the topography of the country: and the captures made by the First 
Corps were by brilliant man(euveis — chietly whole legiments, and including 
the only captured Confederate, unharmed, general otlicer ( .\rcher) at Gettys- 
burg, while our losses were isolated men, mostly in the falling back from 
Seminary Ridge, of mixed and indiscriminate commands, in the streets and 
immediate suburbs of Gettysburg, where we were hemmed in and the avenues 
of escape so well guarded. The losses sustained by the First Corps after as 
brilliant fighting as was done at Gettysburg (with all due deference to the 
valor of other corps), attest to the veritication of my assertion. The First 
Corps lost 0,750 out of <S.200 (70 percent.): Kobinson's Division lo.sing 1,(300 
out of '2,500 engaged. These figures tell eloquently of the terrible ordeal 
through which they passed. The Confederates admit a loss on the first day of 
7.r)()0, and only a loss of 829 in front of the Eleventh Corps; almost as many 
casualties as we had effective strength in the entire corps. Our loss, however, 
was proportionately greater bj' far. than that of any other corps engaged, and 
it inflicted greater damage upon their opponents. Its beloved leader fell, but 
his keen sagacity and military genius gave us the advantage of position, which 
finally resulted in a glorious victory. 

Very diverging figures as to the respective strength of the two armies have 
been given by dift'erent authorities: therefore it is difficult to clearly establish 
the fact. The Comte de Paris, who is considered as an impartial historian, 
places the Union forces engaged — not what Avas carried on the rolls, as more 
tolerance was shown in the Union army, as to keeping up the effective strength, 
than in the Southern army — at from 82,000 to 8-1,000 actual fighting strength, 
and ;{27 guns, including cavalry and artillery, making ])roper allowance for the 
sick, stragglers, detached men and the like. 

The Sixth Corps, the largest in the army, under Sedgwick, did not arrive on 
the field until late in the atternoon and evening of the second day, having 
made a forced march of forty miles, being that far away when the battle com- 
menced: consequently they did not all receive the shock of battle like unto 
the other corps. Corse's Brigade, of Pickett's Division, and a regiment of. 
Pettigrew's Brigade were left at Hanover Junction; also three regiments olj 
Early's Division at Winchester, and the ratio of deduction, on account of sick, 
etc., like unto our own, made the Confederates' etfective tbrce at fi9,000 men 
and 2.50 guns, a difference of about 14,000 men. There has been too much ex- 
aggeration as to the fighting strength of both armies. 

One peculiarity in the organization of the Confederate forces was that troops 
of the same State almost invariably formed entire brigades; this was rarely 
the case in our army. 

A finer body of disciplined veterans never followed the stars and bars at any 
previous period : its mow/c was of the finest— flushed with victory just before 



488 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

at Ghaucellorsville. Our army had scarcely recovered IVoni that terrible sluxk, 
where our casualties were 17,197, and the Confederates 13,019. The losses ou 
this lield to both sides were nearly equal, about 23,000 each. 

The number of l>elligereuts at the world-renowned "Waterloo, June 18, 1815, 
was 140,000: Under Napoleon, 72,000; under Wellington, 68,000. The timely 
arrival of Blucher's Prussian corps (fully 50,000) decisively crushed out 
Napoleon's failure to defeat Wellington. At GettjT^burg, the combined forces 
aggregated 152,000, with a joint loss in killed and wounded of 31,800, in com- 
parison with a joint loss at Waterloo of 30,600, which occupied but eight hours, 
while Gettysburg lasted three days, but not continuous fighting, owing to the 
battle being precipitated ere the arrival of our entire army. Waterloo and 
Gettysburg rank as the two greatest battles of modern times. 

Gettysburg was conspicuous for hand-to-hand fighting, stalwart men were 
cut down in the saddle; Confederate General Wade Hampton received a severe 
saber wound. The Union and Confederate cavalry on the right hew each other 
with sabers, amid demoniac yells, and on the left, Kilpatrick desperately 
fought his cavalry, losing one of the bravest cavalry officers that ever drew a 
sword, Farnsworth, who fell at the head of the First Vermont, and the Con- 
federate accounts say, though severely wounded, he, by his own hand, severed 
his existence, sooner than surrender. 

In a charge, generally one or the other of opposing ranks break before the 
touch of weapons. The desperate but unsuccessful charge, on the evening of 
the 2d, by Averj^'s and Hays' Brigade of '" Louisiana Tigers," on the Elevcntli 
Corps, and the batteries of Ricketts and Wiedrich, who expended five hundred 
rounds of canister, was a terrible hand-to-hand conflict, on the north side of 
Cemetery Hill. Individual bravery was liere never surpassed. Carroll's Bri- 
gade of the Second Corps charged and saved the day. The assault by Wilcox, 
Perry and White, on the second day, penetrating our Third Corps line on 
Cemetery Ridge, where the Fir.st Minnesota was almost annihilated, equals 
almost the desperate, but brilliant, attack of Pickett's Division on the third 
day, which history has immortalized. On the left, during the second day, the 
whole space from the Peach Orchard to the Devil's Den had been fought over 
and over; thousands fell in that blood }' arena. 

Bigelow's Ninth Massachusetts Battery particularly distinguished itself in a 
stubborn hand-to. hand encounter with Humphrey's Forty-first Mississippians — 
the only regiment that actually crossed Plum Run, dealing death with fearful 
pace. The battery sacrificed itself for the safety of our line; its losses being 
rinequaled by any light battery engaged in any battle of the war .save one. at 
luka, Mississippi. Its guns were that evening recaptured. In the wliea* field 
Colonel Jefford.s, of the Fourth Michigan (Fifth Corps), was killed by a bayonet 
thrust. And when, at 1:15 p. m., on the third da}', one hundred and lifty 
Confederate guns opened upon our position from Seminary Ridge, I shall iie\er 
forget that artillery cannonade, just previous to Pickett's charge, which prc- 
.sented one of the most magnificent battle scenes witnes.sed during the war. 
The hills on either side were capped with crowns of flame and smoke, as about 
three hundred guns, equally divided between the two ridge-s, launched their 
iron hail upon each other. Dense clouds of smoke settled over the valley, as- 
sisting thereby to cover the subsequent advance of Pickett's and a jwrtion of 
Hill's command. The shells went hissing an<l screaming on their errand of 
death, through flic dense vai)or: numlx^rs exjilodcd over the valley, apparently 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 489 

with veuomous impalieme, as they met eiich other iu mid-air, lighting up the 
clouds with smoke-like flashes of lurid lightning. While this grand artillery 
duel was in progress, with the thermometer indicating eighty-seven degrees in 
the shade, Pickett's, the last division to reach the field, and the only Confeder- 
ate division that had not been engaged, followed with his world-renowned 
charge of Virginia troops, and a portion of Hill's Corps. In three lines, with 
inadequate support, they pre»s forward ou their fatal march, taking and deal- 
ing death at every blow. Like leaves in autumn gales, they drop along the 
line. The summit is reached ! Meade's line is broken in the very center of 
our position, crowning Cemeterj' Heights with the flag of Virginia and the Con- 
federacy; they bear themselves with a gallantry that cannot be surpassed. 
Into their ranks we pour a deadly fire, before which the Confederate line curls 
and withers like leaves in the flames. No panic seized the Union troops; with 
one spontaneous eftbrt officers and men fell upon them like an avalanche, and 
the flag of the Confederacy drops on the high tide of the rebellion — Gettysburg 
i.s won ! 

A desperate attempt was made to drive us from Culp's Hill on the morning 
of the 3d, after we had recaptured our vacated works, and irom the Kound Tops 
on the afternoon of the 2d; and while all efforts to turn our flanks failed, the 
Confederates, notwithstanding, exhibited a degree of valor unsurpassed by any 
troops of modern times. It was truly, jointly, American valor. 

The fighting of our batteries throughout was of the grandest and most fear- 
lass character, frequently hand-to-hand, an example oi which is seen in Cush- 
ing's grand defense and noble sacrifice. The brilliant manoeuvring and charges 
to and from, on the field of the First Corps, resulted in the capture of entire 
rebel regiments and a general officer; and when overwhelmed, the disciplined 
withdrawal of the First Corps, fighting and disputing the ground foot by foot, 
won for them the admiration alike of friend and foe. 

The contest of the first day, I am sorry to say, has by some been underesti- 
mated, who prate that the battle of Gettysburg was fought only by the contest- 
ants of the second and third days. The First Corps opened the battle and was 
in at the final blow. On the second day it was divided. 

Wadsworth's Division at Culp's Hill, prolongingthe line of the Twelfth Corps 
on the evening of the 2d, assisted in the repulse of a ferocious attack by Ewell. 
Kobinson's Division was in support of the Third Corps, after their repulse early 
on the evening of the 2d. On that eventful Friday of the 3d, Doubleday's Di- 
vision was on the left of the Second Corps, where the stalwart Green Mountain 
l)oys, under Stanuard, received their baptismal fire and so brilliantly crushed 
in the flanks of Pickett's and Wilcox's men, at that most decisive hour, leaving 
no silver lining in the clouds that hung so darkly over the field, to cheer tlie 
drooping spirits of the foemen worthy of our steel. 

Who can measure the evils that would have resulted had our erring brethren 
succeeded. Possibly we should now have a dismembered republic, slavery still 
in existence, and woe and humiliation beyond conjecture; but it was decreed 
otherwise. To an All-wise Providence we ascribe praise and thanksgiving. 

The war is over. In a day the two armies returned to peaceful citizeu.ship, 
and no punishment was inflicted on the vanijuished. Against a foreign foe t lie 
blue and the gray would merge wholly into the red, white and blue. True, 
the resentments of the war linger here and there, but chiefly, like the scattered 
flashes of the lightning ou the edge of a thunder-cloud just passed by. 



490 Pennsylvania at Gefti/slmrg. 

The Confederate soldier believed equally witli n.s that he was lighting for 
the right, and maintained that faith with a rourage that fully sustained the 
leputation of "' American " valor, and yet, one side or the other was wrong. 
The God of V)attles decided for liberty and nationality. The outgrowth of their 
failure has been the magniticent development of the South, and the hills and 
mountains are yielding uj) their treasures, to the loundingand huildingof new 
15irminghams and ShefHelds. 

Take, lor instance, the construction ol" railroads during The present year. 
The South is far ahead. California Hrst, but Georgia next, with one hundred 
and ninety-tive miles; then Alabama, one hundred and forty-six miles. The 
greatest activity is thus to be seen in the South. These enterprises open and 
develop territory, and invite emigration to a new agriculture and to mines of 
wealth. 

The youth of the land are now taught and imljued with the sentiment that 
this republic is not a conl'ederacy of independent States, but a Nation, Avitli 
power to use the last dollar and enlist the last man to maintain the authority 
of the Constitution and the supremacy of the flag. It required complete ami 
utter exhaustion, so as to leave no truce to recuperate for subse([uent agitation ; 
hence to close the conflict in the early years of the rebellion, would have left 
ail unconverted and unreconstructed people. 

i call to mind, how often do we hear that the "' i)ensioner ■ is a term of re- 
proach, instead of honorable recognition of the country's gratitude. These men, 
at a compensation of §13.00 a month, left behind them jirospects for promotion 
in their respective vocations; in most cases gave the best period of their life, 
aiul for three years or more, marched under blazing suns, slept upon the ground, 
breathed the miasma of the swamps, racked with fevers, endured the horrors 
of the prison-pen, and amidst shot, shell, and saber thrust, kept their colors 
aloft to eventual triumph, which secured for the people of the Republic and 
their descendants, civil and religious rights and busine.ss opportunities unsur- 
passed, if even equaled, by any other nation. The spirit of patriotism will 
ever continue and protect these grand results. We are a Republic ! a tried 
Republic — tried in the crucible of fire — enduring to the end of time. 

Comrades, age, disea.se and death are fast thinning oirr ranks. Our active 
service will soon be only glorious memories for the inspiration of others. Our 
story will be the recruiting sergeant of coming generations. Two grand facts 
stare us in the face, facts standing like monuments at the beginning and close 
of our grand old Army of the Potomac. It owes its existence to the masterly 
organizing abilities of McClellan and ended the war under the superb general- 
ship of Grant. As we recall the memories of the dead, the spirits of all the 
warrior heroes of the past come floating before us. Washington and his gen- 
erals ! Enrolled in their company and encircled with their glory, are Grant 
and McClellan. Meade and Reynolds, Hooker and Hancock, Burnside and 
Kearny, Tlionias and McPher.son, Sedgwick and Sumner. Warren and Sykes, 
Custer and Kilpatrick, Farragut and Foote, and last, our lamented Sheridan, 
who so gallantly plucked victory from defeat. 

Let us recall to mind that noblest of historical groupings, wlien Lee, the bril- 
liant .strategist, surrendered to the greatest .soldier of his time, the lamented 
Grant, and there sealed anew the life of the nation; and last, but not least, the 
rank and file — whose glittering walls of steel environed and encompassed that 
brave and fearless band of Southern soldiery at Appomattox. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 491 

But who shall tell of the iniknowii luToes \vlu> have fallen, unmarked, iiu- 
hoiioretl and uusuug V 

What brig-lit. Iiopes may tliere be buried. 
Who the slain, " no one can say ; " 

Yet we know "somebody's darling- " 
5>leeps on yonder hill to-day. 

On his g-rave the sunlight lingers. 
And the silvery moon-beams fall ; 

Though he sleeps far, far from kindred- 
Sleeps until the last great call . 

Who shall eulogize those of lower rank, who. upon the lield of battle, liave 
iu their places displayed a degree of courage rarely excelled, seldom equaled? 
Who shall record the sacrifices of the humble and lowly soldier or sailor? 
While much depended upon the comnumder of an army, yet the ])ersoiial ef- 
forts would avail nothing if not seconded by the heroism and devotion of their 
men. 

Twenty-five years have passed since you stood in battle array on this sacred 
spot, consecrated by the blood of many a true and valiant soldier. The echoes 
and passions of war have faded away. Tlie charm of your soldier life, its bonds 
of friendship and its glorious memories still linger. We have met to-tlay to 
dedicate two monuments to mark the two positions of the old Xinetieth Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers, in which you so laithfully served — your watchword, 
"one country and one flag." Those sacred folds that we followed in war and 
cherish in peace, are now in the hands of the gallant defenders, Sergeants Wil- 
liam H. Paul, Thomas E. Berger and Johnson Roney, who carried them on hard- 
fought battle-fields, and beneath their precious folds fell Sergeant Ronev, 
maimed for life. Comrade John C. Bowen touches elbows with us here, under 
the .same old brigade flag that he .so bravel3^ carried aloft a quarter ot a cen- 
tury ago. I quote — " Proud memories of many fields. * ■' * Sweet mem- 
ories of valor and friendship. "■ * "■■" Sad memories of tallen brothers .and 
sons, whose dying eyes looked la.st v\\^oi\ their flaming folds. * * ■■■ Grand 
memories of cherished virtues, sublime by grief * * - Exultant memories 
of the great and final victories of our country, the Union and the righteous 
cau.se. * -;* * Thankful memories of a deliverance wrought out for human 
nature, unexampled by any former achievement of arms. * * -' Immortal 
memories, with immortal honors blended, twine around the splintered staffs 
^nd weave themselves amidst the fabrics of our country's flags, war-worn, be- 
grimed, and baptized with precious blood." 

The .statistics of the War Department show that you entered the fight wiih 
two hundred and eight officers and men, and after a contest of three liours. ex- 
hausted your cartridges. 

We left the field, when commanded, with a list of casualties amounting to 
ninety-four, equal to forty -eight per cent. Your position was one of great dan- 
ger, and, iu military parlance, the post of honor, being on the extreme right of 
the First Corps. Rodes' Division of Ewell's Corps kept you actively engaged, 
and you in turn did not forget to help take good care of Iverson's North Caro- 
lina Brigade, and grandly repulsed the onslaught made by O'Xeal's Alabama 
Brigade. Page's Confederate Battery, located on your front, at McLean's red 
■barn, lost very heavily; and frequently Carter's Battalion of Artillery, sta- 
tioned on Oak Hill, reminded us that we were in range. Our jiosition was a 
trying one, and when the Eleventh Corps, who failed to connect their left with 



492 Pennsylvaviii at Gettysburg. 

our right bv almost ouc-lialt luile, were hurled back by Kwell's command, our 
jiositiou was truly then a precarious one. As 1 have already described, alter 
takiug up a jiosition with our depleted numbers upon Cemetery Hill, we sup- 
ported batteries on the second day, and late in the alternoon moved to the left 
in supiwrt of the Third Corps, our regimental skirmish line bringing in the 
Confederate General Barksdale, who fell mortally w'ounded but a short t ime 
before, in making that brilliant charge with his Mississippi Brigade. On 
the morning of the third day we lay between Cemetery Hill and Cul])'s Hill, 
ready to support the Twelfth Corps and a portion of our First Corps under 
Wadsworth, Tyho repulsed the formidable attack of Ewell's to turn our right 
flank; and Stuart with his Confederate cavalry repulsed by Pleasonton, trying 
to capture the Baltimore pike, so that in the event of disaster, our retreat would 
be cut off, — adroitly conceived, but, through the indomitable bravery of our 
gallant soldiers, frustrated. 

During Pickett's famons charge, on the afternoon of the 'M, you were brought 
over on the double-quick to support the Second Corps, and arrived just in time 
to witness the collap.se, many of the vanquished Confederates passing through 
our line to the rear. We were then placed in position in front of Ziegler's 
Grove. So accurate was the fire of the Whitworth guns from the Confederate 
left that we temporarily withdrew nnder cover of the grove, from whence we 
furnished details to the skirmish line, some of whom took shelter in 
Those low green tents 
Whose curtains never outward swing 

At the recent reunion on yonder hill, a now much distinguished citizen, who 
Ibught as a general officer on the other side, manfully proclaimed, in all sin- 
cerity, that the cause for which they fought was eternally Avrong, and that we 
were eternally right. 

Swords will never again be drawn to sever the Union. The graves of the 
fallen on both sides now bind the nation together, and there is a grand future 
before us. A broader and healthier sentiment prevails, and we look back upon 
the scenes with wonder and amazement. 

In front of Ziegler's Grove you have erected a second monument, whereon is 
inscribed your record in more extended phrase than this representative of the 
stalwart oak tree Avill warrant ns doing. 

The war is over ! The dove, which brought theglail tidings t)fa regenerated 
world, here is used to symbolize the era t)f peace and good will between man 
and man. The wearers of the blue and the grej' have met each other in the 
field, have manfully fought out their differences, accepted the situation, dis- 
carded the bitterness and animosities of the A\ar, and now recognize that we 
are all of one country and one flag, desirous only to increase our country's 
greatness and prosperity. 

■\Ve have no enmity lor tliose 

Who, by their acts not ours, were foes- 
Hut cfuirity ; and from malice free. 
Would cherish with sincerity . 

The roll-call shortens fast; the list of casualties is not yet ('omplete; the 
strain of that long struggle is fast laying even our strongest low; we close tip 
our thinner ranks, shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, holding nearer and 
dearer together. 

May the God of heaven bless this day's work, and may it add to the sanctity 
of a wedded affection lor the land we love, " the land of the free and the home- 
of the brave." 





PHOTO. Br W. M. TIPTON, QETTlfSBURO. 



PnrNT: THE F. GUTEKUNST CO., 



Pennsylvania at (reUysburg. 493 



DEDICATION OK MONUMENT 

91^"^ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

September 12, 1889 

ADDRESS BY CHAPLAIN JOSEPH WELCH 

THE Ninety-tirst regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, was recruited in the 
city of Philadelphia, and mustered into the service of the United 
States December 4, 1861, with the following staff: Colonel, Edgar M. 
Gregory; lieutenant colonel, Edward E. Wallace; major, George W. 
Todd: adjutant, Benjamin F. Tayman; quartermaster. Lieutenant George W. 
Eyre; surgeon, Isaac D. Knight, M. I). : assistant surgeon. Charles W. Houghton, 
and chaplain, Joseph Welch. 

The regiment camped on the west bank of the Schuylkill river, al Camp 
Cha.se, until January 21. 1862, when it embarked for the front, and went into 
camp north of the city of Washington on the Bladensburg turnpike, at Camp 
Stanton. 

March 22 it occupied the Franklin Square barracks, and was employed in 
provost and other duty under the military governor until April 26 when it 
was ordered to Alexandria, Virginia, Colonel Gregory being appointed military 
governor, and Captain Joseph H. Sinex, of Company D, being provost marshal. 

Severe and unenvia1)le service now kept the regiment fully occupied for four 
months. 

On the 23d of August the regiment was assigned to the Urst Brigade, Gen- 
eral E. B. Tyler, in the Third Division, General A. A. Humphreys, of the Fifth 
Army Corps, General Fitz John Porter, and went into camp at Cloud's Mills. 

The brigade at this time being composed of the Ninety-first Pennsylvania 
Volunteers, Colonel E. M. Gregory; One hundred and thirty-fourth Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers, Colonel M. S. Quay; One hundred and twenty -sixth Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers, Colonel J. G. Elder, and One huTidred and twenty-ninth 
Pennsylvania Volunteers, Colonel .T. G. Frick. 

In consequence of the excitement Ibllowing the .second battle of Maniuisas, 
the command was kept in motion in the vicinity of the capital, south ol the 
Pot<miac, until September la Avhen it joined the jjursuit of the enemy under 
Lee, who had crossed the river into Maryland; pushing on, by a night march 
ot the 17th, it reached the battle-field of .\ntietam on the morning of Septem- 
ber 18 with headquarters at a rail fence crossing a part of the field. 

Remaining in camp here, till the forward movement of the middle of Octo- 
ber, it reached Warrenton, Virginia, October 30; by the middle of November 
the division reached and encamped at Stoneman's switch on the Aquia ('reek 
railroad, and remained here until the movement tor the attack on the position of 
the enemy at Frederick.sburg. 

Taking up the line of march, the regiment crossed the river by the upi)er 
pontoon bridge, marching through the town, and formed in line behind a grave 
yard, the stone wall of whicli afforded some protection against the fire of the 
enemy; from this point, through the various changes of its position on the 
field, its losses were severe. 

Lieutenant Murphy and :i uum)»er of men were killed <>n the field. Major 



494 Pniunt/lvania al Geffysbury. 

Todii and a large nnmbor -were woiindcil. 1 he major dyiiij; very shortly al'tcr- 
wards; the linal charge led l)y Generals Huiujjhrey.s and Tyler, which was 
made with the cheers ol' Ihe men, proved in vain, and met with a heavy loss. 

The last company to le-cross the river (Company K) made the passage as the 
skirmishers of the enemy entered the town; with all the experiences the regi- 
ment was destined to have in the subsequent history ol' the army, it never 
forgot those of the battle of Frederickslmrg. 

Tiie camp of the army was practically continuous, varied by an inefl'ectual 
attempt to move in January, 1863. until April 28, when the manoeuvers took 
place, resulting in the battle of Chancellorsville. Here the colonel Avas severely 
wounded; from the etfects of this wound he never entirely recovered, and ulti- 
mately died. After his leave, caused by disability, he was able to return to 
the field, where he remained at the front till the close of the war. 

The expiration of the term of enlistment of the regiments of the division, 
except the Ninety-first and One hundred and fifty-fifth Pennsylvania Volun- 
teers. cau.sed the assignment of these to the Second Division composed largely 
of regulars. General George Sykes commanding. The command was stationed, 
at Stoneman's switch guarding the railroad about two weeks, and then moved 
to United States Ford on the river, where it remained till June 7. 

On the night of June 7, the regiment moved during a heavy rain storm, 
marching all night, halting about 4 o'clock the next morning at Mount Holly 
(.'hurch for breakfast. At 7 o'clock the march was resumed, continuing till 
night, and halted at Catlett's Station on the Orange and Alexandria railroad. 

On the morning of the 9th the march began at 2 o'clock and continued under 
a hot sun till :' o'clock, going into camp at Manas.sas .Junction, doing picket 
duty for three days. 

From this point to Gum Springs, halting two or three days, at which time 
General Weed took command of the brigade, thence to Aldie in support of the 
cavalry who were skirmi.shing with the cavalry of the enemy ; from here to 
Leesburg where the regiment tbrmed picket line, guarding the flank of the army 
us it passed northward. 

Leaving Leesburg ab))ut '.> p. m., crossing the Potomac liver at Kdwards* 
Ferry, it marched to Poolesville. IMaryland, arriving about i) o'(;lock ; the march 
was resumed the following morning about 4 o'clock, reaching Frederick City. 
Maryland, and halting for two days. 

While the regiment was at this point. General Meade took command of the 
Army of the Potomac, General Sykes taking the corps and General R. B. Ayres 
the division. From Frederick City the regiment marched to Uniontowu, biv- 
ouacking here in the rain, crossing the South Mountain and halting at Bopne.s- 
Iwro, on ground rendered familiar by tiie campaign of Antietam the previous 
year. Here a welcome issue of shoes was nuide. which had become badly needed. 
Marching thence to Union Mills. 

Having been mustered for pay, the regiment left Union .Mills on tlie morn- 
ing of July 1, marching to Hanover, Pennsylvania, where it halted foi- a brief 
rest for dinner. As soon as cofiee was dispo.sed of, the march was resumed for 
(Jettysburg, where fighting had already begun : the tidings of which began to 
arrive in the evening; at midnight a rest was taken on the side of the road 
over which the march lay. 

(Jn the morning of July 2, an early move was made and the regiment was 
thrown inUj line east of the P.altimore turniiike, a short distance below (iettys- 



Pe/iiUfii/fvdnid at (it'ttyshniij. -11)5 

1)Ui!j;. at which point (;a]ilaiii Hail id' (oiiutany !■; was woiiiidcd ; it was then 
moved to a position ofsu)>])ort in tlic center of tlie line. iVoni wiiich in a short 
lime tlie l)rigade was taken as a snpport to (he Third Corps wliicli was licinj^ 
Hanked by the enemy. 

The brigade marched up (,ne side ol' iioiind To)), as tiic enemy charged up the 
other .side, too late to capture a position tliat }>ecame of inestimable worth to 
them in a few hours. The regiment was then ordered to the right at double- 
<|uick to support Battery I of the Fifth V. S. Ailiilery. This position had 
])arely been reached when the legiment was ordered back to Round Top, and 
drawn up in line in front of Battery 1), Fifth U. S. Artillery which tired over it. 
After eoUectiug the wounded lying in front of the line, the regiment during tlie 
night threw uj) a stone wall as a ])rotection from the enemy's sharj)shooters, 
who, from Devil's Den, were harrassing the men : (Jeueral Weed commanding 
the brigade and Captain Hazlett of the batt<'ry were both killed here. 

On the morning of July 3, the enemy's batteries opened on the po.sition pre- 
paratory to furtlier attempts, our own battery making no re])ly at the time. 
After various changes which occupied the morning had ))eeii made, the artillery 
of the enemy opened at 1 o'clock all along the line. This was the prelude of 
the .serious and decisive eflbrt of the grand cliargi; vvhi(!h began about '.'> o'clock. 
The enemy advanced in three lines, in splendid order and determined persis- 
tence. Our battery opened on them with a flanking lire that was terrible in 
its power and fearful in destruction. Three times was the attemj)t made in the 
tace of murderous musketry and artillery that literally mowed them do^Nii in 
heaps. The effort was then abandoned and the position was left in our undis- 
puted possession. In the evening our pickets were advanced beyond the Devil's 
Den, meeting no opposition. A heavy rain set in during the night, continuing 
part of the following day, in which the regiment remained in the ]X)sition it 
occupied. A memorable fourth of July to us. but whose full signiticance could 
not then be foreeeen. 

On the morning of the .")lh, the skirmish line advanced over the enemy's 
breastworks, capturing a numl)er of prisoners, until they came up with the rear 
guard of the retreating army, when they were called into the regiments, which 
were already on the march along the Emiuitsburg turnpike. A heavy rain 
coming on in the afternoon, rendered the camj) ground at night literally a field 
of mud. 

At o o'clock on the morninir of the 7th, the march was lesumed, reaching 
Utica. On the 8th, crossed South iMountain and camped near Middletown. 
On the 9th marched to near Boonesboro. On the lOth to near .\ntietam creek. 
On the 11th and 12th having heavy skirmishing. Marched in line of battle 
and reached Williainsport, Maryland, where the enemy crossed the river. 

.luly 14, marched to Berlin where the regiment crossed the Potomac. A de- 
tail was now made of tliree officers and si.x men for recruiting .service who were 
.sent to Philadelphia. The regiment tnardied to Wapping Ifeight-s, .skirmishing 
through the gap in time to see the rear (»f the enemy's army on its retreat. 
From Wapping Heights to Stony creek, halting for the night. Passing War- 
renton, it camped three miles beyond the town where it remained till Augu.st 
3, when it marched to Beverly Ford on the Rai)i(ahaiinock and there going into 
camp. 

Septem'oer ItJ, marched to Brandy Station, halted lor the night, thence 
marched beyond Culpeper. where it camped till October 10. From this ilatc 



496 Pennsylvania at Getft/shmrf. 

the regimeut was uliuostcontinuiiUy ou the march lor I'orty-tive days, in a series 
of movements that in detail alone, would seem aimless and inexplicable, but 
were part of a whole, both needful and wise, that for hard work varied with 
a spice of fighting, would be eminently satisfactory to the most ardent cam- 
paigners. From Cul]ieper to Raccoon Ford on the Rapidan, thence back the 
following day. In the old camp one night, then to Brandy Station, halting a 
few houi-s then to Rappahannock Station, crossing the river and moving up to 
Beverly Ford. 

The next day the command re-crossed and advanced in line of battle to near 
Brandy Station. At 2 a. m. it fell back and recrossed the river to Beverly 
Ford. In a few hours the regiment was deployed as fianker.s and reached Man- 
assas Plains. About dusk the enemy attacked the Second Corps at Bristoe 
Station, and the regiment went on double-quick to its assistance. The attack 
being repulsed, the march was resumed, lasting all night, and in the morning 
the command reached Centerville. Resting a few hours, it then resumed the 
march by the Fairfax road to near Fairfax Court House. On the afternoon of 
the following day, it marched back about live miles and bivouacked for the 
night, and reached Centerville on the day tbllowing. 

On the 18th, marched to Fairlax Court Hou.se. The following day to the 
old Bull Run battle-field. Left this at 1 o'clock a. m., and marched to Hay- 
market and thence to New Baltimore. 

After building road, the march was resumed to Three Mile Station on the 
Warrenton Branch railroad. From thence to Rappahannock Station, where 
line of battle was formed and skirmishers thrown out. About dusk a charge 
was ordered, and the forts were captuied with a nnmber of prisoners and guns. 
Camping in front of the captured Avorks, on November H the command marched 
to Kelly's Ford, Avhere, after a few hours, the river was crossed. 

On the 10th marched to Mountain run where quarters were built and occu- 
pied till the 24th. Starting on the 26th the river was crossed and the regiment 
reached Hope C!hurch, halting for the night; then marched to Parker's Store 
where line was formed under a heavy fire of artillery from the enemy. 

The following day moved towards Robertson's Tavern and relieved the Sec- 
ond Corps; going to the front, laid there till 2 a. m.. when the corps moved to 
the right to make a charge; lying under arms here until the following night 
when it was withdrawn, .some of the men being frozen to death during the ex- 
posure in the severe cx)l(l. 

Then again to the front, relieving the Pennsylvania Reserves December Ij 
after dark ordered to retire as quietly and quickly as jwssible, moving by 
Robertson's Tavern, recrossed the river at Culpeper Ford, getting breakfast 
about Ha. m. ; marching all day, halting at night, crossing the Rappahannock 
and halting beyond Rappahannock Station. The next day marched to War- 
renton Junction, thence back to Kettle run; lying here till the lOth when the 
regiment marched to Bealton and went into camp. Here it lost Cai)tain Faust 
of Company 13, by death. The regiment was mustered Dec^ember 2(i into the 
.service for three years more; those who did not re-enlist l)eing transferred to 
the One hundred and filty-fifth Penn.sylvania Volunteers. 

December 27, marched to Warrenton Junction, thence, January 2, 18()4. to 
Alexandria; i)assing through Washington and Baltimore, being entertained at 
the Soldiers' Rest; it reached Philadelphia, marching through the city to Inde- 
pendence Hall; after a dress parade, it was dismissed on furlough. 



Pennsi/lvdnid at Gettyshurg. 497 

Headquarters were established on Chestnut street and Lieutenant Sliii)lev 
detailed for recruiting service. 

February 18, 1864, the regiment assembled and marched to the Baltimore 
railroad depot, taking the train to Chester, Pa., where it lay till March 2 
when it left for the front, in command of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph H. Sinex; 
passing through Washington and Alexandria it proceeded to "Warrenton Junc- 
tion and encamped. 

April 30, broke camp and marched to the Kappahannock, cro.ssing the river 
at Eappahannock Htation, marched to Brandy Station; moved at niidniglit 
crossing Rapidau at Uermanna Ford, marched down into the wilderness. 

May 5, the brigade advanced in two lines through dense underbrush, charg- 
ing through an open space, but was repulsed; it was then reformed under the 
brow of a hill and there stayed. The next morning the regiment moved out 
to protect pioneers throwing up breastworks; taking position here the enemy 
charged, but lost heavily and retired. From this position the regiment moved 
to Todd's Tavern, where heavy skirmishing and throwing up defenses occupied 
the time till the 12th, when the line advanced to attack the enemy's defenses 
iinder a heavy fire; Lieutenant-Colonel Sinex and Lieutenant Shipley were 
here wounded, and Major Lentz took command. 

In the alternoon the regiment marched to the left in support of the Sixth 
Corps. Moving again to the left toward Spotsylvania Court House, with the 
One hundred and fortieth New York in line, the regiment charged the Gait 
House which was captured. Having been relieved here by a brigade of the Sixth 
Corps which was driven out, the regiment was again ordered to take the posi- 
tion; advancing to the attack, under fire of our own guns trained on the enemy 
from which it suffered, it again captured the iiosition ; thus marching, fighting 
and countermarching, and still fighting, the story of the regiment is that of the 
army in the campaign from the Raijpahannock to the James. 

On the 6th of June, Colonel Gregory, Adjutant Tayman and (Quartermaster 
Lentz, rejoined the regiment at Cold Harbor. 

On the 9th the division was reviewed by General Ayres, and the corps was 
reorganized, the Ninety-first regiment being assigned to the Second Brigade, 
First Division. Moving by Bottom's bridge and White Oak swamp, on the 
13th it crossed the Chickahominy and was thrown into line; marching by St. 
Mary's Church, a crossing of the James river was effected at Wilcox's Landing 
and an advance made up the Petersburg road to Prince George Court House, where 
the regiment lay till the 18th, when charging across the Norfolk and Petersburg 
railroad, it occupied the position. Moving forward again, it charged and cap- 
tured the inner line, with a loss of eighty-two men killed and wounded. Im- 
mediately throwing up breastworks the command lay here till 5 o'clock the 
next morning when it was moved to the left, still moving as the developments 
of the field warranted, until, charging and driving the enemy, the position was 
captured on which Fort Hell was afterward built. Relieved about 11 o'clock 
p. m. by the Sixty-second Pennsylvania, the regiment was changed to another 
position, and on the 23d was ordered to capture breastworks taken by the 
enemy from the Second Corps on the preceding daj'. Charging under a heavy 
fire, the works were captured, when the Second Corps reoccupied them and the 
command returned to the camp it had left; it was then moved to the left to 
support the Sixth Corps which was engaged wifh the enemy. The following 
day it returned to camp on the Jerusalem plank road. While here, the mem- 

32 



498 Pennsylvoiiid at Gettysburg. 

be IS of the Sixty-sefoiid I'ennsvlvania whose term of service was jiot expiring 
witli tliat of the regiment, were transferred to tlie Ninety-tirst. 

July f!. the regiment began work on what became known as Fort Prescott, 
continuing this until the UOtli of that month, when it took part in the engage- 
ment attending the explosion a mine, which, from its peculiar results, be- 
came known as the Crater. 

August 18, the command moved against the enemy on the Weldon railroad, 
capturing it, and at once throwing up breastworks; the enemy repeatedly at- 
tempted its recapture but were defeated with the lo.ss of the entire brigade 
taken pri.soners. 

On the 30th the enemy were driven out of their Avorks and Pegram's house 
Avas captured. Moving almost daily, and lighting with every move, capturing, 
on the 8th of October, the Davis house Avhich was burnt, the regiment on the 
14th received a detachmant of new recruits, and was occuined in continual 
drill till the 27th, when a demonstration was made across Hatcher's run; C'ap- 
tiiin Closson was wounded during this demonstration, and died shortly after- 
wards; after the enemy had been driven behind their defenses the command 
returned to its position. 

In December the command moved to the rear of Fort Stevenson, striking the 
AVeldon railroad at Jarratt's Station, skirmishing and destroying the railroad 
all night, reaching nearly to Hicksford. returning to its position at Fort 
.Steven.son. 

February 6, IStio, started at 4 o'clock a. m., toward Hatchers run ; having 
deployed skirmishers, the enemy's works were struck about 4 p. m. A charge 
was made and repulsed, the command being fired upon through mistake, by 
a division of our Sixth Corps. Captain Edgar was killed. Captain Finney 
captured, and the colors only saved by Sergeant Devereux of Company C, strip- 
])ing them Jrom the statf and concealing them on his person: the command then 
returned to camp near Hatchers run. 

March *2!), the command moved out at o a. m., procee<ling about twelve miles 
on the Quaker road, when the enemy was met and driven some distance; halt- 
ing till about 11 p. m., when an advance was made of about a mile, and then 
entrenched. The following morning the command moved forward, and found 
the enemy near Dabney's Mill ; halting here till the next day, were then re- 
lieved by the Second Corps, moved to the left, and thrown into line behind 
(Jravelly run; about noon Avere ordered to the support of the Second and Third 
divisions, Avhich were being driven by the enemy; the advance resulted in 
driving the enemy about four miles to the "White Oak road; here the command 
was ordered to supjiort (ieneral Sheridan; at midnight returned to its (ujrjjs; at 
4 a. m. again ordered to support General Sheridan, moving against Five Forks. 

The regiment and the Sixteenth Michigan, both under Colonel E. G. Sellers 
of the Ninety-lirst. formed vn echelon in rear of the Third Division, advanced on 
double-quick, evidently taking the enemy by surprise. General Warren was 
here relieved and General Griftin took command of the corps. Moving forward 
in line on the right of tlie Third Division, along a road across which the enemy, 
posted behind breastworks, was attacked, and nearly all captured, the com- 
mand still ])ush<-d forwaiil till night wht.Mi it returned and caiujx'd on the Five 
Forks road. 

'i'lic Ibllowiiig day Ai)ril 15, al>out noon, tlic command moved out to th(> South 
Side railr<ia<l. striking it at Church Uoa<l cro.ssi and formed across it with 





14 





v-r^tx 







TIPTON, GETTVSDUHa. 



^T : THE F. GUTEKUNST CO., PHIl 



. Pennsylvania at Getlysburg. 499 

pickets out, aiid halted lor the night. The Ibllowing day it again moved Ibr- 
Avard, driving the enemy as tar as Sailor's cieek, \vhere it entrenched ; that 
night it was ordered to support General Custer, and captured two hundred 
wagons, after which it returned to its position. 

The ne.\t day the movement was resumed, and the march lasted till nearly 
midnight of the the 8th; tlie next day it marched again reaching nearly to Ap- 
pomatto.x Court House about 8 a. m., when the command was drawn up in line 
with skirmishers deployed, and advanced under cover of a ridge; here the enemy 
sent in a flag of truce, and hostilities ceased. 

The command marched through the town and was placed in position beyond, 
the brigade being ordered to receive the arms of the enemy. 

The tbllowing morning, the command moved closer to the position of the 
enemy, and was drawn up, right resting on Appomattox creek, and received 
the guns as they were stacked by tlie enemy, as they came up by division.s. 

At dusk the command returned to its position of the preceding night, and 
remained here two days; it then started for Burkeville Junction, stopping for 
the night near Farmville, where the news was received of the assassination of 
President Lincoln. 

By easy marches the command moved toward Washington, passing through 
Petersburg, and being reviewed at liichmond by General llalleck. The regi- 
ment camped near Alexandria until July 10, having participated in the grand 
review of the army by President Johnson and General Grant; it was mustered 
out of the service and returned to Philadel])hia, where it arrived on the morn- 
ing of July 12, 1865. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

93^ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

SEI'TKMKliK 1 I, 1889 

ADDRKS.S OF CHAPLAIN J. S. LAME 

THE memory of the hero is the treasure of his country. We are often too 
near events to see their importance. You may hold a dime so near the 
eye as to hide the whole material universe. The further we recede 
from the events of the last war, the vaster they become and the more 
important they appear. Many battles are fought and victories Avon and little 
has been decided. But there are destiny-deciding contests — hours of supreme 
immortal moment when the tide of liuman history turns and turns Ibrever. 
Such were the mighty contests of Thermojiylic, Hastings, Waterloo, Yorktown 
and Gettysburg. The Ninety-third Kegiment of Pennsylvania Yolunteers was 
recruited at Lebanon in Lebanon county. Made up of volunteers from Berks, 
Montour, Dauphin, Montgomery, Centre, Clinton and Lebanon counties, a 
regimental organization was etlected by the selection of the following officers: 
James M. McCarter, colonel; John W'. Johnston, lieutenant-colonel; John C. 
Osterloh, major; William A. H. Lewis, adjutant; John S. Schultze, quarter- 
master; Richards. Simington, surgeon; George W. Mays, assistant surgeon. 
On the 12th of September. 18(51, L'ew James M. McCarter, wlio had been a 



600 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

chaplain in the Fourteenth regiment during the three months' service, received 
authority from the Governor of Pennsylvania to raise a regiment to be known 
as the '■ Lebanon Infantry."' Camp Coleman, on the fair grounds in Lebanon, 
was immediately established and recruiting was qttickly commenced and rap- 
idly completed. While in camp a beautiful silk Hag, the gift of G. Dawson 
Coleman, of Lebanon, was presented to the regiment. 

On the 13th of November, the State colors were delivered by Governor An- 
drew G. Curtin. A liberal sum of money was contributed by the people of 
Lebanon and vicinity for the support of the families of those who had enlisted. 

On the 20th of November, the regiment struck tents and proceeded to Wash- 
ington, where, after a brief stay at the Soldiers' Kest, it went into Camp Fort 
Good Hope. It was first armed with Belgian rifles, btit before the opening of 
the Peninsular campaign these were substituted by Springfield muskets. On 
the 22d of January, 1862, it moved to Tennallytown and was here assigned to 
Peck's Brigade of Couch's Division, Fourth Corps, under command of General E. 
D. Keyes. The brigade consisted of the Ninety-eighth Regiment I'ennsyl- 
vania. Colonel J. F. Ballier; the One hundred and second Pennsylvania, Colonel 
Thomas A. Rowley ; Sixty-second New York, Colonel Riker ; Fifty-fifth New 
York, Colonel DeTrobriaud. At the conclusion of the Peninsular campaign, 
the Fifty-fifth New York was detaclied and the One hundred and thirty-ninth 
Pennsylvania was added. 

March 10, 1862, the regiment movetl on the Manassas campaign. On the 
26th, it embarked for the Peninsula. 

Ma}' 5, the command took an active and important share in the battle of 
William.sburg, suffering a loss of six killed and twenty wounded; Captain 
CxreenB. Shearer was among the killed, and Lieutenant-Colonel Johnston had his 
horse shot under him. In a congratulatory order issued bj' General Couch he 
says: " General Peck, with his brigade, had the good fortune to be in the ad- 
vance, and arriving ou tlie ground at a critical time won a reputation to be 
greatly envied." At Fair Oaks the regiment distinguished itself, obstinately 
holding a most important and greatly exposed position, suffering the severe 
loss of twenty killed and one hundred and eight wounded and twenty-one 
missing; this loss occurring in eight companies; companies A and F being on 
picket. Lieutenant John K. Rogers was among the killed and Captain Alex- 
ander C. Maitland mortally wounded. Colonel McCarter, Captain Mark and 
Lieutenants McCarter and Keller were among the Avounded. Captain Dough- 
erty was struck, but having a watch and a bible ou his person, these articles 
received and relieved the force of the ball. A correspondent of tlie New York 
Tribune, in his admiration of the discipline and sterling (jualities displayed hy 
the regiment on this sanguinaiy fiehi, .said : "Take the case of the Ninety- 
third I'eiuisylvania ; this tlioroughly trained body of troops fought, were driven 
back from their position but not broken, halted at word of command, wheeled, 
fired, retreated, halted, loaded and fired again and came oft' the ground in per- 
fect order, with their colors flying — a striking proof what the success of battles 
is in the discipline of the troops." At Chantilly it supported a battery. 

The regiment was in the movement for relief of tlie garrison at Harper's I^rry, 
but the position having l)een surrendered, moved to Antietam, making a forced 
march of some thirty miles from sunrise to 9 p. m. During the pursuit of the 
retreating enemy the regiment was in the advance. In the battle of Freder- 
icksburg, on the .13th of December, the regiment, now in the Sixth Corps, under 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 501 

General Kmith ot Fiankliiis (iraml Division, crossed the river and was held in 
reserve during the engagement. In the spring of 1863, under (iencral Hooker, 
it formed a part of the Sixth Corps, -which was commanded V)y (Jeneral John 
Sedgwick. The Ninety-third, in command of Captain Long, cros.sed the Rappa- 
hannock on the ;id of May. At daybreak on the :5d, it formed in line, General 
Wheaton commanding the V)rigade, .says: "The corps was formed with the 
greatest expedition and pushed on to a point called Salem Heights. I was 
ordered by General Newton to move Avith two regiments to the right of the road 
and to take general directions of the operations on that portion of the battle- 
ground. The Ninety-third and One hundred and .second Penn.sylvania were 
soon engaged under a terrific fire of musketry from a hidden foe." 

On the afternoon of the 4th, Wheaton's Brigade was attacked but easily re- 
pulsed the assailants, taking nearly two entire regiments prisoners. The loss 
to the Ninety-third in the engagements was six killed, among whom were Lieu- 
tenants Washington Brua and William D. Boltz, forty-four wounded and twenty 
mi.ssing. While the two great armies, during the month of June, were manu'U- 
vring for po.sition to fight a mighty duel — to ascertain the enemy's position, the 
regiment crossed the Eappahannock, when it was developed that Lee had pushed 
the head of his column northward for an invasion of Pennsylvania. The march 
for Pennsylvania now commenced, the regiment moving bj' way of Manassas 
and Centerville. The Sixth Corps formed the right wing of the army. 

On the 1st of July, it arrived at Manchester, Maryland. During all the pre- 
ceding day the regiment had trod the dusty heated highway. At 8 o'clock 
in the evening, worn with the long and weary march, they stretched their aching 
limbs in the shelter of a friendly forest. Scarcely had they thrown themselves 
upon the ground, when an aide-de-camp arrived from the blood-baptized heights 
of Gettysburg, announcing the death of General Reynolds, and that the stuijen- 
dous conflict had commenced, and requesting regimental commanders to ad- 
dress their troops in language becoming the grandeur of the crisis, and bearing 
an order for the immortal Sixth — a corps that had never failed to achieve the 
possible, to hasten to the defense, to strike for their altars and their fires, God and 
their native State. The drums beat — "Fall in,'' leaped from lip to lip, and 
the host is all astir, swords and belts are buckled on, knapsacks slung, weapons 
grasped, and, forming into a solid sc^uare, they stand determined, defiant. But 
who shall address them ? Where are the souls of fire and tongue of flame ? 
They are there. Colonel McCarter, though now an invalid, the genius of elo- 
quence had touched his lips and bade him speak. His rostrum was a wai'-steed, 
the silence was profound and painful, not a foot rose or fell, breathing seemed 
suspended, all nature appeared as awe-struck at the sublimity of the scene, 
•stood silent, solemn, listening. He who was to interpret and give tongue to 
this tremendous silence, began in tones low and tremulous, his voice, acquiring 
force and volume as he proceeded, rang out on the evening air, solemn and .se- 
pulchral as a trumpet from the skies, as if (Jod liad recommissioned the immor- 
tal Moses to reinflume the serried hosts of the Lord God about to march to the 
valley of decision for the dread battle of Armageddon. 

My countr.ymea, comrades-in-arms, Pennsylvanians:— The destroyer has come; fell 
treason's loul foot has polluted the soil dedicated forever sacred to freedom. Northern 
hearthstones are threatened; the ctiainsof slavery are clanking, and they are forging 
fetters to crush your patriotic spirit— the issue is joined, the stupendous conflict has 
commenced. Interests vast as a world, termless as time are at a venture. 
Tlie ninth and nineteenth century, a nation dying or redeemed and regenerated; free- 



502 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

dotn or shivery are the momentous issues of the hour. Sons of liberty, go forth with 
alacrity to the battle of the civilized world, where God himself mustered the hosts to 
war. A natiou is at prayer; patriotism, clotlaed in sackcloth, has -tied to her sanctuary 
and hangs on the horns of the altar, as she pours importunate prayers to the God of 
battle, to arm you with his own omnipotence. Religious ministers under God's inspi- 
ration lift aloft holy hands and pronounce an apostolical benediction upon your arms. 
A multitude of mothers in Northern homes at this hour of evening, sacrifice are going 
to the family altars and with a loving mother's bursting heart,turning her eyes gemmed 
with the jewels of sparkling tears, to that spot that holds her boy, prays again and 
rededicates him to his countrj^ and to hjs God. I cannot but imagine that a Lafayette, a 
Koskiusko or a Washington, the world's greatest and best, are glancing with fiery eye, 
and again graspmg the sword of war to lead you forth to smite the invader. Catch the 
si)irit of \yashington, emulate his illustrious example; he never drew his sword but upon 
his country's enemy, he never sheathed it while his country contained an enemy. Sol- 
diers, we have met before in the shock of battle, where destruction reveled and death 
danced as at a festal scene. Again we go; should you fall, the spot will be forever sacred 
to freedom and a monument immortal as the ages shall rise to your memory. A nation 
will be your mourners, the liberty-loving of every tongue and tribe, class and kindred, 
will tender you the tribute of a tear. " Let us forward then." 

Not a cheer arose, not a murmur was heard ; feelings too profound for speech 
filled all hearts. Silently, solemnly and majestically as the ocean tide the 
men move through the aisles of the forest. 

The corps marched until midnight, when it was found that through a mistake 
the wrong road had heen taken, and that it had marched several miles out of 
their way. These miles had to he remarched by the foot-sore and weary troops. 
At break of day, a short halt being called, a few fires were kindled and an at- 
tempt made to secure a rude breakfast. Some were trying to boil coffee when 
the order sounded "Fall in," and some lingering a few moments around the 
fires, officers approached and kicked over the coffee pots and all. Again the 
weary march was taken up in heat and dust. Many fell fainting in their tracks, 
these were loaded into the ambulances until they were full, others were pulled 
aside into the shade and left, some possibly to revive and rejoin the regiments, 
others to be overtaken and overwhelmed hy the bushwhackers. At 9 in the 
morning, the V)ooming of cannon from the distant field was distinctly heard. 
At 10 the regiment crossed the State line. She unfurled her colors, beat her 
drums, came to a quickstep and sang " Home, Sweet, Sweet Home." 

About 3 p. m. a halt was ordered, the men too much exhausted to eat, threw 
themselves wearily to the ground and lay like logs. In an hour an order came 
to advance into the battle. The corps were promptly in motion, the Ninety- 
third leading the column to the support of the Third and Fifth corps which 
were then hard pressed, Colonel David J. Nevin, of Sixty -second New York, being 
in command of the l)rigade. The Ninety-third being in the advance, was the 
first regiment of the corps to get into action. Major Nevin in command, Gen- 
eral Sedgwick in person led the 1)rigade and formed on the brow of a low rocky 
knoll covered with scattered trees, just to the rigid of Little Eound Top, the 
left of the brigadejoining with the Pennsylvania Keserves. It got into position 
just as the troops which had been contesting the ground in the ojjeu fields along 
the Emmitsburg pike, broken and almost annihilated, were coming back in 
disorder, followed by the exultant enemy. The command was ordered to lie 
down and to withhold its fire until the enemy was close upon it. Had this order 
been lieeded, the whole rebel line could easily have b(!en captured. A prema- 
ture fire was opened from a part of the line which checked the advance. The 
whole brigade then advanced and after a short contest the rebel line was driven 
in tumult. In the ciiarge the Ninety-third took twenty-live prisoners. Just 



Pennsylvania at GeUij^hurij. 5C3 

before nightfall, the regiment was ordered forward with a regiment of Reserves 
to retake a battery, which had been lost iu the early part of the day, but the; 
guns having been removed it returned At niyht, tiic men slept lor a few 
hours in the line of battle but spent most of the time in removing the wounded 
who strewed the fields in front. Since 8 o'clock on the previous evening the 
regiment had marched thirty-nine miles, had fought three hours and passed 
an almost sleepless night and nearly without food. 

On the afternoon of the 3d the Confederates opened with all tlieir l)atteries. 
For two hours, from a space less than two miles, there was an incessant can- 
nonade from two hundred guns of the enemy. Upon no battle-field of the 
world's history' had such a bombardment ever been witnessed. Pollard, in his 
"Lost Cause,'' says, "it was absolutely appalling, hills and rocks seemed to 
reel like drunken men, shrieking shell, the crash of falling timbers, the frag- 
ments of rock flying through the air, the splash of bursting sharpnel and the 
fierce neighing of wounded artiller}' horses, made a picture terribly grand and 
sublime." During this terrible cannonade the men partly sheltered by a stone 
■wall, rocks and trees, hugged closely the ground, and at the conclusion of the 
charge on the left center renewed the picket firing and kept it u^i until dark. 
During the night the regiment was engaged in burying the dead and bearing 
off the wounded. The fourth of July was celebrated at the front, the men 
being ordered on the skirmish line on the extreme left where it suffered some 
loss. At two in the afternoon it was relieved. The loss of the regiment was 
ten wounded, one mortally. 

On the 5th it was ascertained that the enemy had retreated and pursuit was 
at once begun. The Ninety-third was detached to guard the corps artillery 
and assist in taking it across the mountains. The duty proved a difficult one, 
the men suffering much from the hardships it imposed. 

On the 10th it was ordered to jiicket and skirmish duty at the front near 
Funkstown. The men were eager for a final issue, but much to their chagrin 
it was discovered that the enemy had escaped; the men heartily dreading an- 
other campaign in Virginia. The regiment participated in tlie movement on 
Mine Run, and went into winter quarters at Brandy Station. 

On the 30th of December, "Wheaton's Brigade, of which the Ninety-third 
formed a part, was detached from the main body of the army and sent by rail 
to Washington and thence to Harper's Ferry, loaded on freight cars, many of 
which were without tire, the soldiers suffered terribly from the cold, the feet 
and hands of some were frozen, rendering amputation necessary in two cases, 
and in one proving fatal. The brigade marched to Halltown upon its arrival, 
but soon returned and went into camp at Harper's Ferry. The object of the 
movement was to repel an anticipated demonstration of a body of the enemy 
under General Early. 

On the 7th of February, 1864, two hundred and eighty-four men, upwards of 
three-fourths of the entire regiment, re-enlisted and were given a veteran fur- 
lough. Upon their arrival at Lebanon, where the regiment had been mustered 
in, a most enthusiastic reception was tendered them. Amid martial music, 
banners, flags and the waving of handkerchiefs and hats, the regiment marched 
to a bountiful banquet. 

On the 10th of March, the regiment assembled at ('amp Curtin, Har- 
risburg, and on the 18th rejoined the brigade at Halltown, eight hundred 
strong. Soon after the regiment returned to Brandy Station. In the reor- 



504 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

ganization of the corps this brigade was transferred from the Third to Second 
Division of the Sixth Corps ; having been armed with Springfield rifles, it set 
out at half past three on the morning of the 4th of May, for the Wilderness. 
During the afternoon of the 5th while marching down a narrow road flanked 
by a heavy undergrowth, without skirmishers or flankers, the Ninety-third 
in the advance, and was just plunging into the thick-woods to the left of it, 
Avhen a murderous fire was suddenly opened upon it from the right. The regi- 
ment halted, faced to the front, delivered one volley and charged the enemy, 
clearing the woods. In this brief encounter the regiment lost twenty-five in 
killed and wounded among whom were Captain Edward H. Rogers, and Lieu- 
tenant Maxwell B. Goodrich mortally wounded. General A. P. Hill's corps 
having arrived, formed in the front, about the middle of the afternoon the at- 
tack began, for two hours the roar ol musketry at close range was incessant. 
At 6 the regiment having suftered severely was relieved. Resting on its 
arms during the night, at 4 in the morning of the 6th it advanced into the 
.second line of battle to the attack, the second soon became the first line. 
General Wadsworth, putting himself at the head of the Ninety-third, charged 
down the plank road. In these two days of fighting the regiment had eight- 
een killed and one hundred and forty-four wounded. 

On the morning of the 12th it went to the support of the Second Corps and 
took a position to the right of the famous bloody "Angle" and advanced to 
within fifty yards of the rebel works. So destructive was the fire opened upon 
them that in one brief hour the regiment lost four oflicers and seventy-three 
men killed and wounded. Captain Richard G. Rogers was mortally wounded. 
With the corps the regiment participated in the fierce fighting which marked 
the course of the army to the James river, losing men almost daily; and in the 
engagement on the 18th of May, having thirty killed and wounded. It crossed 
the Rapidan on the 4th of May, entering the campaign with seven hundred 
and fifty men present for duty. As it marched from the trenches at Cold 
Harbor its virtual conclusion, it had but three hundred and twenty-five men ; 
fifteen oflicers and three hundred and ten men having been either killed or 
wounded, and ninety-five sick and sent to the rear. Only nine men were cap- 
tured and they were wounded and left on the field. 

From the 4th of May, until the 2d of June, the Ninety-third marched three 
hundred and fifty miles, made twenty-six night marches, Avas fifteen days with- 
out regular rations, dug thirty rifle pits, and fought in eight distinct battles. 
During all this time there were but five days in which the regiment or .some 
part of it was not under fire, and neither oflicers nor men took off" their clothes, 
seldom their accoutrements. Clothes and shoes worn out were replaced by those 
of dead men, and not until it arrived at the James river did the men enjoy the 
luxury of a bath. 

On the IHtli ol' June, in front of Petersburg, a general advance was made, 
the line pushing close up to the enemy's works. Captain Jacob P. Embich 
was killed and five men wounded. On the 22d it was token to the extreme 
left, where it supported the Third Division, losing thirteen in killed and 
wounded. On the 9th of July it was ordered from the front, and mar(;h- 
ing to City Point took transports to Washington. Arriving in the city the regi- 
ment moved rapidly to Fort Washington just as Early's skirmishers were 
advancing over the esplanade. 

On the Pith a general advance was made and the enemy driven at all points; 



Pennsylvania at Gettt/shur<j. 505 

passing through Kockville and across the Potomac the corps was ke])t on the 
march for nearly a month. General Sheridan took connnand of the army in 
the Shenandoah Valley on the 7th of August. 

On the IJIth of September, the regiment lost seven killed and forty wounded. 
The 21st it was engaged making gallant charges and suffering severe losses. 
On the morning of the 19th of October, it was driven ])aek with the army, but 
rallied and charged in the afternoon and at night tented on the old camp 
ground. In November, the regiment was ordered to Thiladelphia and was as- 
signed to duty in the city, and remained until after the presidential election, 
when it returned to camp at Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley. About 
the middle of December, with the corps, it returned to the lines in front of 
Petersburg, where it went into winter quarters. Several hundred recruits were 
received bringing its strength np to near the minimum standard. 

On the 25th of March, 18fi.~), the brigade was ordered to advance on the enemy's 
works, and test the streugtli of the forces occupying them. The command 
charged to the front of his picket line of trenches; here was some delay, other 
parts of the line not coming up. The line again went forward across the plain, 
captured the outer picket trenches, and charged up a second hill, to his main 
line. Here the brigade halted and was subject to a severe enfilading lire. It 
was soon ascertained that the enemy was present in full force, and the com- 
mand was rapidh^ withdrawn. The lo.ss in this brief engagement was fifteen 
killed and one hundred and thirty-six wounded. Captain George AV. Mellin- 
ger was among the killed. At midnight of April 2, the regiment, under the 
command of Captain B. Frank Hean, moved -to the front entrenchments in line 
of battle, forming on the picket line in front of Battery Oregg, and at 4 in 
the morning with the rest of the brigade was ordered to charge the enemy's 
works, which were carried after an obstinate struggle, the colors of the Ninety- 
third being the first planted on the ramparts. After moving a short distance 
towards Hatcher's run the command was ordered to return towards Petersburg. 
In executing this order the regiment was brought in front of a rebel battery, 
which opened with grape and canister. At this juncture Sergeant Hiram I^ay- 
land led a .squad of men to the left of the battery to outflank it, and coming up 
within a short distance opened fire, shooting several of the battery horses, and 
causing the men to desert their guns. At the same time the line in front 
charged : passing on a short distance, the line halted and threw up entrench- 
ments. The loss was two killed and thirty -one Avounded. In the first charge 
upon the enemy's breastworks, Sergeant Charles Marquette distinguished him- 
self by capturing a rebel flag for which he received a medal of honor. During 
the night the enemy evacuated Peter.sburg, and early on the following morn- 
ing the corps moved south to Burkeville Junction. Then ensued the most 
remarkable flight and pursuit the world ever saw. The cavalry hanging like 
a bloodhound on the flanks of the flying foe, and the infantry on the rear. 
With no time to sleep or rest, and nothing to eat, the general-in-chief issued 
his famous '•starvation order, " appealing to the patriotism and endurance of 
the soldier, that as in the past, they had dared death from ball, bomb and 
battery, they would now face death from want of rations, as it was impos- 
sible to bring up the commissary train. The response to this appeal was en- 
thusiastic. On the 6th, the regiment participated in the battle of Sailor's Creek. 
On the 9th, Lee surrendered and .soon after the corps made a forced march to 
Danville, to co-operate with Sherman in the defeat of Johnston. After re- 



506 Pennsylvania at GHiysburg. 

maining in camp there for several weeks, it returned by rail to Richmond, 
under the command of Colonel C. W. Eckman, and thence to Washington where, 
on the 27th of June, it was mustered out of service. The Ninety-third Kegi- 
ment Veteran Volunteers has a reputation tliat no member of that organization 
need be ashamed of Nay, she has won a grand historic position that the great 
Keystone State and the nation at large can well be proud of. It was compo.sed 
chiefly of the middle cla.sses of society', yoemen, men that sprang spontane- 
ously and patriotically to their country's call. On the 9th of September, 1862, 
Rev. J. S. Lame, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church at Middletown, 
Pennsylvania, was elected and commissioned chaplain of the regiment, having 
succeeded Rev. Mr. Quimby, who had died in the service. During winter 
quarters a large log chapel was erected, a literary society organized, litera- 
ture distributed, preaching and meetings held nightly. Intellectual, moral 
and spiritual welfare of the men being looked after by the chaplain, who was 
always treated with the tenderest respect by the men. We may close appro- 
priately in the words of General Wheatou. "The great Keystone State has 
sent few regiments to the field who can return showing as handsome a record." 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

95™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

July 2, 1888 

ADDRESS OF WILLIAM J. AYRES, ESQ. 

YOUR faithfulness and devotion has brought you here to dedicate this 
memorial of triumph. You have come here to commit to faithful 
memory; to mark your page in the story of Gettysburg; to point to an 
incident in the history of the service of the Ninety-fifth Pennsj'lvania 
Volunteers. The drama of war is ended; the discord of battle and of civil 
strife that was once familiar sounds has closed these many years. 

The great whirlwind of battle that swept around about here twenty-five 
years ago, has given place to soft summer zephyrs of peace. 

On the fields plowed by fierce artillery, deep dyed Avith noble l)lood, the 
wheat and grasses have danced these many summers gone. 

Thus does nature .seek to cover up her wounds, but in natural convulsion, 
she leaves .scars for signs that those who .study nature can understand. And 
wc erect these monument.s here, so that those who come here may read of a 
nation's convulsion, in purging herself of the dark .spot on the stars and stripes. 

We would say nothing unkind or ungenerous of those brave boys in gray 
who fought against you ; they were brave men and believed in their cause. 

We claim no rights we do not freely give; we demand no restraint that we 
do not freely .submit to ourselves. 

Yielding a full obedience to the constitution and llu; hi\\, e([ual rights to all, 
now, as in the past, you are brave men. 

Angels look downward from the skies 

Upon no holier ground, 
Than where defeated valor lies. 

By generous foeman crowned. 




PHOTO. BY W. H. TIPTON, GETTYSBURG, 



rN«.wT ^0., PH._A, 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 507 

And we hope that these monuments dedicated at this reunion will be memorials 
ol' true reconciliation. 

This monument we dedicate is not a monument of sorrow; twenty-five years 
has brought too many changes to mourn; new joys, new sorrows have come 
to all. 

This is a memorial of honor. 

"In honor of mothers who bade their sons do brave deeds, 

"In honor of wives who wept for husbands wlio should never come home 
again, 

*'Iu honor of children wliose heritage is tlieir fallen father's heroic name, 

'•In honor of men who counted not their lives dear, when their country 
needed them, 

'"Of those alike who sleep beside the dust of their kindred or in nameless 
graves, where only angels stand sentinels till the reveille of the resurrection 
morning. 

''In honor of you with your life's pleasures and opportunities les.sened by 
wounds of battle, or seeds of disease from the swamps of the Chickahominy. 

''In honor of all tnre men of the ' Ninety-fiftli ' whom we cannot by name 
identify." 

When Gosline's Pennsylvania Zouaves marched from their camp at Heston- 
ville that briglit October morning, 1861, it was not as soldiers of conquest. 
But you went forth to save. To save as patriots. You did not know what 
"was to be the final result when you stood your Ijaptismal lire, and saw for the 
first time your comrades fiilling with the death wound, you were there to save, 
lighting to save. 

And as apart, a unit, of the unconquerable Sixth Corps, you aided in rescu- 
ing from the fires of war and death our glorious system of constitutional gov- 
ernment. 

When Mrs. Gosliue and other fair ladies of Philadelphia placed this flag, 
tlieir gift, in your keeping and y)ade you bear it bravely in your country's 
cause, it was a .sacred trust; nobly have you fulfilled that trust. 

Had I marched beneath the folds of that flag, or been old enough to have fol- 
lowed it with the "Ninetj'-fifth," with what success could I touch the mystic 
chords of memory, that from Camp Franklin stretched far away across the old 
Virginia battle-fields and camping grounds, in rifle i)its,or dreary muddy marches. 

But no, I can but echo what others have said of how at West Point you shed 
your first blood on the .sacrificial altar. Of the camp on the Chickahominy; of 
that cruel aff'air of Gaines' Mill where death robbed you of Gosline, Hubbs, 
iJonohue, and one hundred and sixty brave boys killed and wounded. 

Time does not permit me to call to your minds the many scenes that occurred 
in the Peninsular campaign and the memorable change of base, and how 
that bright handsome zouave uniform had changed — now soiled, ragged and 
torn, and how tho.se bright fresh boj'ish iaces had changed to hard, fierce, de- 
termined men ; how eyes that had looked with love on that dear old flag closed 
in the long sleep, or, how familiar voices of messmates and comrades were 
hushed in the long silence of death. 

Do you remember one beautiful Sabbath, on the 14th of September, 1862. Do 
you recall the battle of Crampton's Pass, and how victory inspired you, after many 
di.sappointments ; some are here no doubt that charged xip that steep South 
Mountain and shared in the glories of that victorv. 



508 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

At Antietam, your courage and fighting qualities were next tested, and you 
were true to the test. Fredericksburg follows, and the year closes with dark 
clouds hanging over the Union cause. 

Salem Heights ! the name is enough to recall to you painful memories of the 
fierce desperate struggle, and sad and mournful must have been that night of 
picket on the field of battle ; here brave Town, Hall, Dunton, and more than 
two hundred brave boys of the Ninety-fifth went down, and fevf were left of 
the handsome Gosline Zouaves that had been the pride of so many hopeful 
hearts. 

But we must hasten on. Lee had invaded Pennsylvania. The Army of the 
Potomac was following. The Sixth Corps at Westminster had received its orders 
to hasten, and it was from there to Gettysburg that it made the memorable 
march of thirty-nine miles in nine hours. 

Gettysburg ! great writers have described thy scenes ; on thy loyal ground 
disloyalty received her death wound. 

It would be absurd for me to attempt to describe this battle; we are on the 
map; it is spread before you, we can study it. 

You know you were held here as a reserve ; you know of the march to get 
here through that hot burning July sun. The Ninety -fifth was called upon 
for one life here. 

Pettit received his death here from a sharpshooter concealed at Devil's Den 
and six were wounded. 

While I am speaking of the service, let me mention those two hundred and 
forty-five of the original members of the Ninety-fifth who re-enlisted for a sec- 
ond time, setting a noble example at a time when the terrible death struggle 
was drawing near, with a full knowledge that what they had gone through 
with, the hardships and sufferings, the battle with all its dangers was not the 
worst that could come; fiercer and more bitter the war would rage before Rich- 
mond would fall, fight after fight, blow after blow, not a war of manoeuvers, 
but a war of destruction was to wage. Of what noble patriotism; never on the 
annals of war was recorded a higher, a nobler consecration than that which 
was made by the veteran volunteer soldier of the United States. 

It is impossible for me to describe the terrible hells of the Wilderness, of the 
deluge of forty days of fire and death that only ended at Cold Harbor. 

You, who have gone through it all, do you not often look back with wonder 
and ask yourself how you escaped the death-wound. 

Comrades as brave, comrades cared for as well as you; comrades the subject 
of prayers as you were, fell to rise no more. 

We need not go to Marathon, or dig up the old heroic Greeks for examples 
of bravery. You men of the Ninety-fifth, you fought as well, you .shed your 
blood and held j'our own on fields as fiercely contested as tliey. Who will dare 
deny this, that knows of the Wilderness campaign, where brave Carroll fell ? 
Who that was with you on the 6th of Way, 1864, will deny it? 

And do you remember the 9th day of Maj', when General John Sedgwick, 
commander of the Sixth Corps, fell? 

On the 10th of May you were in the charge at the ridges of Spotsylvania, 
led by Upton, and proud you may well be of this gradual approach to victory. 

The 12th of May was the Bloody Angle, and another evidence of the courage 
and fighting qualities of the Ninety-fifth was given when you charged the 
crest of the "angle"' and saved the dav. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 509 

Gait House, North and South Anna rivers, and we hasten on with Sheridan's 
troopers. God bless Phil Sheridan ! May he win in this battle with death 
and remain long with ns the beloved of the American people! And then the 
rifle pits in front of Peterslxirg. Horrors as great as in any war were here en- 
countered. Then, with Sheridan down the valley, Winchester, when your di- 
vision commander, Russell, was killed. Fisher's Hill, New Market, Cedar 
Creek, and when the Sixth Corps broke the lines of Petersburg and victory 
crowned our standards, it was Corporal Fox of the "Ninety-fifth" who cap- 
tured the flag of the Confederate custom house. 

At Sailor's Creek the last blood of the Ninety-fifth was poured on the altar, 
and Appomattox and Richmond was ours. 

The cry that had echoed from your heart when you were on the peninsula of 
"On to Richmond," had at last been accomplished. Your noble dead lay on 
many fields of battle. The Sixth Corps' work is done. The more we examine 
the career of the Sixth Corps, more grand appear its achievements ; its prowess 
of war is a part of history and the names of the gallant dead are on honor's 
sacred scroll, and memory held dear by the surviving soldiers, Sedgwick, Rus- 
sell, Gosline, Town, Hall, Carroll, Harper, Topham and so many others that 
time does not permit me to give a list of the gallant men who gave all they 
had to their country; they are remembered by some one; memory dear to 
some one. 

And what matters it, when men have given of their utmost in intellect, in 
strength and courage, and of their blood the last drop, whether they fell with 
the star of the general, the eagle of the colonel, the stripe or chevron or in the 
simple jacket of the private. Wherever on fame's eternal camping ground 
their silent tents are spread, at West Point, Salem Church, Wilderness or in 
some stately city of the dead, or in that beautiful spot at West Laurel Hill 
where you have selected a last camping ground for the "Ninety-fifth,'" the 
earth that bears them dead bears not alive more true or noble men. 

This may seem fulsome praise ; it is not. If we do not commend patriotism 
to whom shall we turn in the hour of danger which may come to those who 
succeed us here as it did to v'ou. The example of patriotism teaches the young 
to be patriots. The sight of such memorials as this will teach to those who 
view it, and the heroic spirit Avill come in the hour of trial and emergency and 
fill the young patriot's breast as it did yours. And may this memorial stand 
when we in tiarn are gone, to teach this lesson of duty nobly done, at the ex- 
pense of itself. 

Under the inevitable waste of time, this as well as all these monuments here- 
about erected to mark this ])lace of glory, may, must, crumble and fall. 

Long may this structure stand — undisturbed by man or the elements. May 
centuries outnumbering those that look down upon the pyramids roll on and 
find this memorial preserved. May it endure in the years to come that those 
who see it will be inspired to know that honor is more than wealth, and right 
is more than peace, and heroic deeds more than life. 

You, survivors of Gosline's, you of the Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
you that followed this flag when it was bright and new, as soldiers of the 
Union in its mortal struggle, your work is almost done. You may gather to- 
gether again, you may meet and fold the dear old flag around the form of some 
comrade, but no new recruits come to strengthen your broken ranks. The steady 
resistless artillery of time hurls its deadly missiles upon you. You may face 



510 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

it iis bravely as yoii laced the foe at Salem Heights and Bloody Angle. But 
one by one your numbers weaken. 

As we stand here together, as we remember how nobly and bravely life's 
work was done, let us Imagine around and about us are the spirits of the brave 
comrades dead and gone, those who stood with you when you took your solemn 
oath, and as we leave to them their pure and noble fame, as we leave this spot 
so sacred, so memorable, may we go forth exalted by this communion, and may 
we take up life's daily duties and responsibilities manfnlh'. Be as brave and 
true as in the past: keep to the right as you did at the " angle,"' and may the 
path down the shady side of life of all the old soldiers of the Ninety-fifth be 
full oi" pleasures. 

May the glory of the Sixth Corps never grow dim and may God preserve the 
cause you helped to gain. 



THE NINETY-FIFTH PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS AT GETTYS- 
BURG 

THE Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers of Russell's Brigade, Brooks' 
Division, Sixth Corps, arrived upon the battle-field of Gettysburg about 
3 p. m., of July 2, after a fatiguing forced march of thirty-seven miles. 
The regiment suffered but little from straggling so anxious were the 
men to reach the field oi battle. 

On the arrival of the Sixth Corps, the divisions and brigades composing it 
were at once pushed forward to such points as required assistance. The Ninety- 
fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, numbering about three hundred and titty men, 
fixed bayonets and, in conjunction with the brigade, were ordered into position 
on the right of Little Round Top in support of Second Brigade. Third Division. 
The regiment maintained their position until evening when pickets were 
thrown out; they al.so a.ssisted in rescuing and assisting such wounded as lay 
within our reach during the night. 

July 3, in same position under fire of enemy's sharpshooters; one enlisted 
man killed and one wounded; the regiment held in readiness to advance at a 
moment's notice. Held the .same position during the night with pickets out. 

July 4, in same position awaiting orders. 

July 5. advanced with the Sixth Corps in pursuit of the letreating enemy. 

The Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers while on the march to and at the 
battle of Gettysburg was commanded by the .senior line officer. Captain Edwaid 
Carroll of Company F. The whole of the regimental field and i)art of the statV 
fell at the battle of Salem Heights, May 3, 1863. 

Colonel Town and Lieutenant-Colonel Hall were killed and Major Town sev- 
erely wounded. Captain Carroll was subsequently i)romoted Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel and killed in action while leading the regiment in the Wilderness campaign 
of 1864. 



PciiiDiiilvduid ill (i'ttytihuTij. 511 



DEDICATION OF MONL'MENT 

96^" REGFMENT INFANTRY 

Jink 21, iSSS 
ADDRESS ];V COLONEL IIEXRV ROVER. 

C^O.AFKADES of the NiiuM v-si\tli Peunsylvania Volunteers: -We are met 
again, not in tlie panoply of war. but as peaceful citizens of the repuh- 
li(-. AVe are here to unveil the beautiful stone which marks the sjiot 
wliere our regiment fought twenty-live years ago. 

The monument, the artistic merit of which reflects great credit upon llie 
young artist who designed it, bears upon its face the history of our organization. 
The surmounting figure indicates its defensive attitude throughout the engage- 
ment. The inscriptions designate the county and state from whence it came, 
and the position it held, from first to last, in the Army of the Potomac. It is 
a noteworthy fact in the history of the Ninety-sixth, that it was one of the very 
few regiments whose enlistment was authorized by an order direct from the 
"War Department. It was therefore organized and mustered into the service 
at its liome as the monument declares. 

An accountof the three longyears of service, the thrilling details of life in tlie 
camp, on the march and in the field, must be the task of the regimental his- 
torian. This day's event, however, would be incomplete without a brief sketch 
of the salient features of that service. 

Vour first camp, which for two months had nestled amidst the loyal liills of 
Schuylkill county, was broken up in November, 1861, when you departed from 
3'our mountain home for the more stining scenes of war. On your arrival at 
"\Va.shington, you Avere at once in the heart of a great army. To men fresh 
from the employments of peace, strange, almost weird, .seemed the din and tu- 
mult. Having been speedily assigned to the brigade of General Slocum, of 
General Franklin's Di^•ision, your march from the temporary quarters near lila- 
densVjurg to "Washington, down Pennsylvania avenue. acro.ss the Long Bridge, 
through and beyond Alexandria to Fairfa.x Seminary in Virginia, brought you 
to the then immediate front. In camps of instruction you here pa.ssed the few 
remaining weeks of winter, in full view of the great dome of the national capi- 
tol in your rear, and of the enemy's flag at iSIunson's Hill, in your front. Tlie 
daily routine of drill and picket duty, familiarized you with danger, and in- 
ured you to the hardships of your many subsequent campaigns. You then 
thought it war, but it was only the preparation for war. 

Under the famous " Order No. 1 " you advanced in tlie early spring, with 
llie army toward Centerville, when, the enemy having fallen back, you returned 
to your camp. Again, while the army, under General McClellan, was being 
transferred to the I'eninsula, you finally marched in the corps of General Mc- 
Dowell to"Warrenton, whence, being recalled, and trans]K)rted down Chesapeake 
baj', you arrived at Yorktown at the moment of its evacuation. Passing up 
York river, upon the flank of the retreating enemy, at "West Point, on May (i, 
you received your bapti.sm of fire. It was then a battle. In liistory it is re- 
corded as a slight skirmish. 

And now, in and a>)ont the swamps of Chickahominy, began that long con- 



512 Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

tiimetl and dreadful sufVeriug aud slaugliter which ended in the memorable 
' ' Seven days belore Richmond. ' ' Marching by night and lighting by day, your 
baptism was here confirmed in blood ; eighty-eight of your comrades having 
been placed hors de combat in the single battle of Gaines' Hill alone. Hence- 
forth the Army of the Potomac ranked with the veteran armies of the earth. 

The scene then shifted to Northern Virginia. In covering the withdrawal of 
the army from Harrison's Landing, the Sixth Corps marched down the Penin- 
sula to Newport News, was then conveyed to Alexandria, and, by a rapid 
march, reached the army of General Pope in time to participate in its retreat. 
In that retreat, you well remember the stormy midnight march, in which, with 
bayonets fixed, you passed the battle-field of Chantilly, where had just fallen 
so many of your brave Schuylkill county comrades of the Forty-eighth and 
Fiftieth Pennsylvania Volunteers. Then followed under General McClellan 
the short but brilliant campaign into Maryland, and the decisive battles of 
South Mountain and Antietam. And here we pause long enough to gather 
around and drop a tear upon the graves of our many — many comrades who went 
to sleep under the mountain shadows. 

Southward again, under General Burnside, in December of the same year, 
you advance to the disaster of Fredericksburg ; and, at last, rest in winter 
quarters on tlie plain near that ill-fated spot ; the monotony of the second winter 
camp being broken only by the fiimous, but unsuccessful " march in the mud," 
under the same general. 

As life once more quickened the pulse of spring, the bugle sounded the march 
under the dashing General Hooker. Then came the brilliantly conceived move- 
ment to Chancellorsville, in which, acro.ss the Rappahannock, at Salem Church, 
your regiment was again decimated, and Ijarely escaped destruction. And now, 
under General Meade, you follow the northward march of the army, through 
Maryland to this — the soil of your native State. The battle of Gettysburg had 
already begun. Thirtj'-six miles awa,y, at Manchester, you heard your com- 
rades' cry for help just before the dawn of July 2. Before 4 o'clock in the 
afternoon of that same day, your impregnable ranks confronted the victorious 
and advancing foe, upon the very ground where we are now assembled. Here, 
wheeling into line, your columns unfalteringly held this position to the end. 
It has been affirmed l>y men skilled in military science, that the struggle of 
July 2, at this part of the field, was the turning-point of the battle. By one 
of the strange freaks of war, the Sixth Corps, with inconsiderable loss and by 
her opportune arrival alone, decided the fortune of that day. 

It has seemed that, with this gigantic combat, courage and fortitude had 
reached its limit; that human eiulurance had been exhausted. Nay ! the tide 
of war was only to roll back to its accustomed channels. Ere the thunder of 
artillery had ceased to reverberate along these valleys you were again on the 
march. Your advance, on July 6, brought you into a sliarp engagement at F'air- 
finld, ten miles away. On southward went the combatants, until the Potomac 
was passed. Then began, Ainder the skilful General Meade, a .succession pf 
brilliant .strategic movements, covering the arena between Centervilleand Mine 
];nn. There were innumerable marches, reconnaissances, .skirmishes and a bril- 
liant victory at Rappahannock Station, in all of which you ])articipated, and, 
at their clo.se, withdrew to your last winter cam]), at Cul])eper, on the liap- 
idaii. 

The succeeding months of repose were but the calm that precedes the bur.st- 



Peim.sylvania at Gettysburg. 513 

ing storm. By common consent, the ensuing canipaijijn. under the great com- 
mander, fjr its pertinacity and carnage, is unparalleled in the annals ot" war- 
fare. For one long month the surge of battle rolled between the Rapidan and 
the Chiclcahominy, at a cost of thirty thousand men to the Army of the Union. 
The mind is appalled, and language powerless to descTibe. To say that you 
were there, in your accustomed place, were enough, and ^-et not enough for 
the fulness of the truth. 

On the 10th of May, the Ninety-sixth was one of twelve selected regiments, 
which, in three lines, under the command of the ardent General Emory Upton, 
made for that day, the final desperate and successful charge at Spotsylvania. 
Such a charge, under such a leader, was resistless. In tin; front center of that 
column you swept over the enemy's works to victory, but with the frightful 
sacrifice of one-half of all who were in the action. As if your record had not 
already been written in blood, your pitiful remnant again closes up its ranks 
at Cold Harbor ; and there, in sight of the old battle-fields of 1862, in the early 
days of June, you i^lace the last offering on your country's altar in the death of 
your adjutant. 

From Petersburg you return, in July to the defense of Wasliington. Then 
you go down the valley with General Sheridan, to the battle of Winchester ; in 
which you were denied participation by your commanding general, who declared 
that to permit further sacrifice from the Ninety -sixth on the last da\' of its ser- 
vice, would be murder. 

This brief summary contains only a bare outline of your services. In the 
interest of history, your achievements can be best epitomized by the simple 
story of your muster rolls. They bear, in all, the names ofeleAen hundred and 
forty-nine men, including musicians) and teamsters ; while the loss from dis- 
ease and battle reaches the enormous aggregate of four hundred and fifty-seven. 

The events we have narrated belong to the past. Their record will challenge 
the attention and command the admiration of mankind. But, to 3'ou alone, is 
it permitted to vividh' realize them. You were at the forefront when your com- 
rade fell upon the rampart. You alone saw the ghastly wound where the .soul 
went out. To you it is a vivid memory, and even to you a memory only. 

But, comrades, we come not into the presence of these patriot dead to vaunt 
our own deeds. AVe are met rather to jjerlbrm a sacred duty, to the end that 
this imperishable memorial may be completed. In the discharge of that (\\\\j, 
yovL place your chaplet upon the altar in the name of the Ninety-sixth Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers, but in honor of the great county from whence you came, and 
in memory of the patriotism and heroic valor of the whole army. Your regi- 
ment was distinctivly a Schuylkill countj' organization. It had been orga- 
nized and mustered into the service at home. And yet, it represented less than 
one-tenth of the brave men who have shed luster upon her name. From within 
her borders, exclusively also, came the Forty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
that splendid regiment, which, to devotion and fortitude, added ihe matchless 
skill and cunning that fashioned the famous mine at Petersburg. And, besides 
these, came parts also of many other Pennsylvania regiments ; notably the 
Fiftieth, Fifty-fifth, One hundred and twenty-seventh. One hundred and twenty- 
ninth and One hundred and fifty-first infantry ; and the Third, Seventh and 
Seventeenth cavalry. And by hosts of others, singly and in groups, was she 
represented in the organizations of every State from Maine to California. And, 
be it not forgotten, that when the danger signal sounded in the darkness of the 
33 



514^ Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 

iiifjlit, she furnished two ol'the live companies, which, emergiuy from tlie gknjm, 
tirst appeared upon the banks of the Potomac. Her Mrst defenders formed the 
vanguard of the Army of the Union ; her more than thirteen thousand citizen 
soldiers helped to augment its columns ; her loyal sons have crimsoned with 
their blood a liundred battle-fields. Her exalted patriotism has swelled the 
ranks of the nameless dead ; and, oh! most fitting privilege, here too, upon 
the ground she helped to consecrate, her enduring tablet becomes a part of this 
inspiring altar of patriotism. 

The battle of Gettysburg, although only one of the thou.sand sanguinary 
battles that were fought upon the strategic line of operations, was the turning- 
jwint of the war. For this reason, and because of its magnitude, it has been 
cho.sen to represent them all. Here, upon this part of the great line, is to be 
erected a visible diagram, so to speak, of the positions and movements of the 
forces. All were not upon this identical field ; and yet, from this spot, the 
pilgrim, come from whence he may, will see the embattled hosts and hear their 
shouts away to the far Mississi^jpi and the gulf The Forty-eighth was not here, 
but he will distinctly hear the roll of her musketry at Antietam Bridge and 
Frederickslnirg. Nor was the Fiftieth here, yet will he hear her battle-cry at 
Bull Run and Chantilly, and see her ranks of steel closing around the heights 
of Vicksburg. He will see them all and hear them all ; and, having learned 
the lesson of their sacrifice, will go hence with renewed inspiration to battle 
for the right. 

We were actors in this diania, and now, my friends, have we, ourselves, be- 
come .spectators. The smoke of the conllict has lifted. The feelings and pas- 
sions which were intensified by it have pa.ssed away, A clearer vision now 
reveals it as a link in the chain of events connecting the past and future. 

It was reserved for this continent to develop in the men who fought here the 
full .stature of manhood. The combatants were men of the .same race. They 
were united by the ties of a common brotherhood. The}' were impelled by 
tlie .same motives, and guided by tlie same destiny. They were both the sons 
of the sires of '76. They were alike the descendents of the liberty-loving men 
who founded this great empire. And more, they belong to the .same race of 
men who, in other lauds, liave for ages fought the battles of the people: the 
kinship to whom we trace in the very names of those who, upon either side, 
wliether right or wrong, here fought for a principle. They were all men of 
exalted character — enlightened, vigilant, brave and noble men. The}- were 
men who had been reared in the fear of God, and in love for their fellowmen; 
men with whom the performance of duty is a privilege; men who dare to de- 
fend the right, as they know it; the kind of men that heroes and martyrs are 
nuide ol'. The uprising of the North, indeed the unanimity of botli .sections, 
was so phenomenal, that it could have been true of such men only. At the 
first overt act great armies, as if by magic, sprang to life. Political and other 
distinctions were put aside. Men flocked to either standard, from every avenue 
of life, each vicing witl. the other in their zeal. Such men needed not the 
matron's injunction to be brave, for they loved their cau.se better than life itself. 
These were the men — thrice noble men. The struggle was in accord with their 
character. It w;is a battle of giants — grand in action — mighty in result. 

But whence came this demon of discord? Did not their fiithers and ours to- 
gether set up a home in the wilderness? Did they not share the privations 
;;nd dangers of the pioneer? Did they not. with one accord, here plant the 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 515 

sUindard of religious uiul jwliticul liberty, under whicli the down-trodden mil- 
lions might liud refuge from the perseeutions of tyranny and easte? Did they 
not. as brothers, side by side, from Bunker Hill to Charleston, light the battles 
of the Revolution? I>id not these same fathers unite in the ereetion of a new 
nation '"eoneeived irt liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are 
created equal?" And, linally. did they not. with their intermingled Idood, 
protect and defend that nation? Whence then this civil strife? Alas! they 
struck the yoke from oir their own neck, but permitted it to remain on that 
of their bondmen. 'Whether Irom policy or necessity, they placed human 
slavery under the safeguard of law; and thus, as if in solemn mockery, jjlanted 
an aristocracy within a republic. As right and wrong, so freedom and slavery 
cannot dwell together in harmony. The seed of dissension .speedily took root. 
First men then sections became estranged. AihI here; was presented the' anom- 
alous spectacle of good and great men in angry controversy about a principle 
whicli their fathers had declared to be a self-evident truth. A heritage, so 
rich in the antecedents of the sires, could not at once be lost to the .sons. They 
clung to the Union, but the conflict was irrepre.s.sible. The breach widened. 
Men split hairs alx)ut the letter of the law, while they lost sight of its spirit. 
From antagonism came violent contention and turmoil. Demands compro- 
mises — concessions — everything was in vain. The acrimony of debate ga^e 
way to the arbitrament of the sword. Then came the contlict, as the shock of 
a mighty storm. The lovers of liberty throughout the earth stood aghast. 
Their longing eyes had been turned toward this nation. They had witnessed 
its birth and dedication to liberty. They had watched with anxious .solicitude 
its growing strength and greatness. Around it had clustered their tenderest 
sympathies; their fondest hope of final deliverance. For, just as this battle 
was the turning point of war, so was the conflict itself the culmination of a 
great struggle which had been going on for centuries. Need we wonder that 
men said ''this is God's war?"' Ought we not rather wonder that men in- 
dulged in doubt or despair? In that tribunal the God of battles is the arbiter, 
and the verdict cannot but be in accord with divine justice. Thanks be to 
(.JodI the arbitrament is final. The nation has received "a new birth of free- 
dom; and government by the people, of the people and for the jjeople shall 
not perish from the earth." The ordeal is at an end. The Union has been 
preserved. The nation has arisen purified — redeemed. Joy and thanksgiving 
fill the hearts of men. 

From all Ibrmer civil wars had uniformly proceeded the downfall of the re- 
public. From this, the greatest of all, came the utter destruction of the wrong 
which produced it. With the collapse of the rebellion not onl^' was slavery 
wiped out, but with it, the whole social fabric which .sprang fri)m it. The 
South, in upholding that wrong, had submitted its existence to the decision of 
the sword, and by the sword it died. The i.ssue long trembled in the balance, 
but, when the verdict came, it was final. 

The war for the restoration of the Union had been waged " with malice to- 
ward none — with charity for all.' The same .spirit continued in the return to 
peace. Upon the one side no unnecessary conditions were imposed; nor was 
there undue resentment and prolonged animosity on the other. There ap- 
peared to be an instinctive recognition of the fact, that the sins of the fathers 
had been expiated and purged from the body politic. The transition from war 
to peace was, therefore, instant — so (juick that men marvelled at it. It wa.s, 



516 Pnifi sylvan in (ft Gettysburg. 

indeed, a spectacle of unexampleil lu'ioisin. Aye, morel it was a sublime 
tribute to the blessed Christian civilization of this nineteenth century. Here 
had armed hosts been engaged in a death struggle. For four weary years war, 
with its passions, had scourged the land. Homes had been broken up, and 
families destroyed. And yet, barely had the deadly strife ended, ere the re- 
sult was acquiesced in by all. With manly dignity the combatants parted. 
There was no humiliation — no exultation. Quietly and .sadly they turned 
their faces homeward. A millioTi mailed warriors, inured to scenes of blood, 
at once resumed the pursuits of peaceful industry. Had not this magnanimity 
succeeded the triumph of arms, the victory would have been barren. Could 
the martyr-president have Jbreseen that, within one generation, both victor and 
vanquished would unite in fraternal gatherings upon this very field, his mighty 
soul would have throbbed with joy. 

A score and three years have passed since peace was ushered in. The Iruil- 
ao'C of that peace has already been abundant. In the short interval the growth 
in wealth and po]iula'tion has been marvellous. A (juickened life in the u.sefnl 
arts has multiplied comforts throughout the homes of the land. The develop- 
ment of the higher arts, also, though not so obvious, is readily discerned by 
the careful observer. The new birth of the republic has everywhere regene- 
rated the elements of strength and greatness. It has been said that, as man is 
constituted, national greatness can come only through war; that just as the 
atonement was necessary for the redemption of the race, so is the shedding of 
human blood requisite for the making of a great history for a people; that in- 
dividual sacrilice begets unity of feeling and jjatriotic ardor, which stiuuilate 
acts of heroism ; that the achievements of the citizen form the materials for a 
more original and higher national art and literature. If this be so, then, surely, 
in the stupendous sacrifices of the American people will this western republic 
attain a most glorious future. Those sacrifices, be it remembered, Avere made 
for a divine principle — not in wars of aggression and conquest, but for the wel- 
fare of humanity. If lofty motives and sublime deeds are the proper incen- 
tives, American genius will produce, in art, a revelation and an epic that will 
be classic forever. 

But after all, my fellow-citizens, these are but the mere incidents of pro- 
gress. We arc but working out, vinder divine guidance, the mystery of hu- 
manity. At each successive step we ascend to a higher plane, and with us are 
elevated all the people. Our republic is, even now, a pillar of fire to the mil- 
lions of the earth, and a constant and dangerous menace to "sovereigns by 
the orace of God." If we see aright, however, true and enduring greatness 
will be attained only when we shall have established a living faith in the 
people's capacity for self-government. Our fellow-citizens of other climes (for 
freedom-loving m(!n arc fellow-citizens everywhere) demand of us, that by our 
wise example, we may not impair that faith. We owe it to them, we owe to 
ourselves that, with knowledge to see the right, we .shall have moral course 
to enforce it. 

If the .social problem is to ))e wrought out in a rejjulilic, there must be de- 
veloped the very highest standard of education and nu)ral training. Wise laws 
and pure administration depend upon the wisdom and integrity of the people. 
They, therefore, who deprecate the unlimited diffusion of knowledge, roveal 
a lack of faith in the people. They would remand to the few the power to 
make laws for the many. In the bright light of this era, such men are out of 



^ Ponnsylranid al (iefti/.shiir<f. 517 

place, if not iji tlie worlil, at least in a republic. They must either fall into 
the Hue of march, or they will surely be lost in the wilderness. That " tlie 
voice of the people is the voice of God," may not as yet have been fully veri- 
fied, but tliis much has been irrevocably learned, the rights of the people are 
.secure! only in the keeping of wise and virtuous freemen. In the frailty of 
humanity errors and wrongs will occur; but in the practice ol" virtue will be 
cultivated tlie self-respect of the citizen. He will not licconie a cringing syco- 
phant to those in authority, because the government is of his own creation. He 
cannot be a mendicant, asking alms from the public pur.se, for the rea,son that 
he himself holds the strings of that purse. The king can do no wrong. From 
the crown de.scend all rights to an abject vassal. The subject slave is taught 
U) kneel at the foot of power and crave its supiiort, but a republic arises by, 
and exists in, the sacrifices of the people: is supported by tlie toil of the people; 
its majesty lies in the people. 

In this nation has been hung llie himj* ot liberty lo illuininaif the whole 
world. The .security of the nation itst;lf is in your hands. Outward foes will 
not willingly assail us. While the republic is the home of peace, watchful of 
her own rights and considerate of the rights of others, yet have men seen that 
she wages war with terrible earnestness. The unequaled bearing and dread- 
ful power of her citizen soldiery have taught a salutaiy lesson, which, in itself, 
is a sufficient guarantee against aggression. The arnij' of the people, in a de- 
fensive war (and a republic ought to engage in no other) is absolutely invinci- 
ble. We are thus happily relieved from the maintenance of large .standing 
armies and powerful navies. The.se are always elements ol' weakne.ss; a men- 
ace to peace, an excessive burden uijon industry, and a source of danger to 
liberty. Our great pre.sent and greater future lie not in warlike pageantry and 
vain ostentation, but rather in the " more renowned victories of peace." P.y 
these shall this domain be the abode of contentment and happiness. Dangers, 
from whatever source, must be averted. This goodly heritage is in your kecj)- 
ing. By you must it be handed down, unimpaired to the future. To tliat 
end, your duty cannot cease, else all the.se .sacrifices wen; in vain. Zealous in 
war, you must, in common with your other felloAv-citizens, di.splay the same 
devotion in the enforcement of obedience to the laws; in the restraint of license 
and disorder; in the abatement of party rancor; and in the promotion of every 
good and wi.se measure conducive to the general welfare. Then, with har- 
mony and concord, will continue the onward march of the people. 

And now ! my comrades ! this may be our last reunion. We are exceedingly 
fortunate both in the event and place of occurrence. When last you saw this 
•around, it was the " vale of death." Then the fury and pa.ssion of war rent 
the earth, and the sulphurous fumes of battle stifled the air. Now these fields 
blossom in quiet happiness, and the air is vocal with music of birds. As the 
lights are heightened by shadows, as the sunshine glows more brightly after 
the broken storm, .so do you, to-day, by the contrast, realize more clearly the 
benign blessing of peace. Some of you bring ugly scars, and bodies weary with 
wounds, but even to such this blessed scene is an ample recompense. 

To us, the Ninety-sixth Kegiment is .something more than a name — far more 
than an integral part of the army. It is a brotherhood of comrades, both liv- 
ing and dead, linked together with hooks of steel. It is a talisman, whose 
power over the heart time can never impair. It means for us not only camp 
life, midnight picket watches, marches, battles, campaigns, toils, dangers and 



518 /'ennf>//h'((nia af (reftysbmrf. 

death: hut tender sympatliios, warm aflections, and noble loves, which were 
born in the hour of danger, and which live on eveu alter death. I know you 
are even now thinking of Lew, and John, and Bill, and Tom, and Charley, 
those noble fellows, whose guileless hearts were as an open book to us, and into 
whose fearless eyes you so often looked, when 

The noise of battle hurtled in the air. 

We learned to know them so well. They were killed by our side. The last 
look of the eye and the quick hand pre.ssure, beyond the power of speech, con- 
veyed their parting message to home and us. We buried them as best we 
could rudely, but tenderly. We sang no requiem, save that in the silence of 
the heart. We followed no ritual, for, in that awful solemnity, none was per- 
mitted — none required. They are dead ; and yet, so vividly, even now, do we 
see them, we fain wo\ild believe their good spirits are hovering about us. 
With joy, and the sorrow close akin, dear, dear, departed comrades ! we unveil 
this monument to your glory. 

The camp tire begins to smolder in the embers One by one the lights are 
going out. The Ninety-sixth will soon, very soon, be at rest. 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENT 

98™ REGIMENT INFANTRY 

.September i i, 18S9 
ADDRESS OF CAPTAIN JACOB A. SCHMIDE 

C^.OMUADES and friends: — Through the kind favor of Providence and the 
patriotic liberality of the government of our noble old Keystone State 
; we are permitted to be assembled here to-day, on this historic field, to 
dedicate this monument as a memorial to the action of the Ninety- 
eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry in the great battle fought on these 
fields in July, 1861^, for the preservation of our country, for the continuation of 
our government, for the defense of our homes anil our firesides, for the defense, 
especially as Pcnnsylvanians of all and everytiiing near ami dear to us, against 
the invading hosts of the enemy, who, fresh from <me victory, advanced boldly 
upon our own State capital, threatening our own towns, our own cities our 
very existence. 

On behalf of the survivors of the Ninety-eighth Regiment PennsyU'ania In- 
fantry it behooves me now, 1 believe, in connection with this occasion, to state 
to you, that this monument is erectted here by the authority of our State gov- 
ernment, to mark a position held by the regiment during the battle, and to 
commemorate the regiment's action in the great battle fought on these fields 
during those ever-memorable days of July, 18()l{. 

My friends, we are glad to )>e enabled to inform you here, that this monu- 
ment does indicate a position, as tlic in.scription thereon truthfully states. The 
regiment held this position from about dusk of the evening of .luly 2, to the 
end of the battle. Actually it was in line along the road in front, the right wing 
somewhat refused to face the woods, but, to conlbrni to the wishes of the Com- 
missioners appointed by the (Governor to suj)erinteud the erection of these 




TIPTON, GETTYSBURG. 



NT: THE F. GUTEKUNST CO., 



J*e)ins///vauia af Geftyshnry. 519 

Biomunent.s. and tlu^ various good and .sufficient reasons advanced hy them 
the7efor, our committee willingly accepted this location, although it is some- 
what in rear of the line wliich the regiment actually occupied. 

We regret that we cannot .so heartily approve of the inscriptions thereon al- 
luding to the regiment's action in this memorable battle, or, rather, we must 
regret the omission of any statement alluding to the action of the regiment on 
another part of the field, although in close vicinity. 

The inscriptions are as decided for us by the State Commissioners, and state 
trirthfully, that the regiment led the Sixtli Corps on its march from Manches- 
ter, Maryland, to the battle-field and held this line from evening of .Inly 2 to 
the end of the battle, but make no allusion to what else it did. 

Our lamented General Sedgwick, in his report on this battle, states that he 
arrived, in fact reported his corps present, at Hock creek at 2i)'i-lock ]>. m., and 
tlie Ninety-eighth was the leading regiment of it. 

Well, did we stay at Rock creek, a full mile or more in the rear? 

Was the leading regiment of the corps left at Rock creek to rest itself, while 
others following, yes, while the other following regiments of our own brigade 
were hurried forward as fast as possible and led into action into the fight on 
this identical ground? 

No, my friends, the Ninety-eighth was not the kind of a regiment to be left 
in the rear under anything like such circumstances as took place here on that 
afternoon. 

Although the Commissioners did not allow >is a mention in the in.scription of 
the action of the regiment between the time of its arrival at Rock creek and 
the time, as stated, when it was placed in position on this line, we were not 
lying idle at Rock creek, or anywhere else, listening to the battle from afar, 
yes, to the roar of battle being fought that afternoon on these identical fields, 
in this immediate vicinity, those very hours, my friends, were, and are to-day, 
and will continue to be, as long as Ave live, the hours most memorable to us 
the survivors of the Ninety-eighth in regard to our action in the l)attle of 
-Gettysburg. The hours between 4 o'clock and sundown of that afternoon of 
July 2, 1863, were full of trying moments on this part of the field, and the 
Ninety-eighth got here in good time and did its duty, yes fully did its duty, 
and perhaps some of the work of others, and as the State Commissioners re- 
quest, that in the exercises connected with the dedication of these monuments 
the survivors include a true, and as near as possible complete statement of the 
actions of their respective regiments in this battle, we cheerfully comply with 
that request, to the best of our ability; although in the main part it will only 
"be a reiteration of a statement of our action as a regiment, in the battle these 
monuments are to commemorate as we have some time ago transmitted to 
them. 

Yes, transmitted to them for the very purpose of having the truth of our 
action recognized by suitable mention thereof in the inscription on this monu- 
ment, and made over the solemn affidavit of a large number of our comrades 
who participated with us in this eventful battle. Over the solemn affidavit of 
comrades who lost limbs, who became crippled for life in that action of the 
regiment, a solemn statement made under oath and transmitted to them, .set- 
ting forth our action, especially for the purpose of inducing the Commissioners 
to include a mention thereof m the inscriptions, and without a mention of 
which we can never look upon or consider this monument as giving to jx)sterity 



520 Pennsylvania at Geffyshuvfj. 

;i inithtul liislorv of the part the Ninety-eighth liegiment Peuusylvania In- 
fajitry took in the battle this luomiment is intended to commemorate. 

On the evening of July 1. 1863, the Ninety-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania 
Volunteers, four liundred strong, under command of i.,ieutenant-Colonel John 
li. Kohlerand Major J. W. lieamisli, was in bivonac near Manchester, Maryland, 
ihirty-eight miles from here, with the rest of the Sixth Army Corps, and 
.shortly after dark was ordered <m the march towards Gettysbnrg, where heavy 
righting had already been going on during the daj'; the regiment was fortu- 
nate enough to have the leading position of the corps assigned to it for that 
march, a position which, in a column on a march, and especially on a march 
as that one was, is very advantageous, as it enabled us to reach the battle-field 
here in very good order and lorm, after marching all night and day without 
intermission, until we arrived at Rock creek, at a point about a mile south of 
where the lialtimore pike crosses said stream, and may fairly be included in 
tlie area of this battle-field. 

We arrived there shortlj- after 2 o'ltlock and were halted and allowed to rest 
for probably fully an hour, when we were advanced, with our brigade, to the 
})ridge on the Baltimore pike over Rock creek, being placed in line on the 
s(mth bank, on the left of the pike, facing the stream. Hardly had the brigade 
got in line in that po.sition when we were again ordered forward, and crossed 
the creek partly by way of the bridge and partly by fording the stream, doing 
SI) under our lamented General Sedgwick's personal supervision. We were at 
once urged tbrward as fast as possible and soon lost sight of and became de- 
tached from our brigade, being dire(;ted by a staft' ofiicer who accompanied us 
towards the left, we making a good part of the distance on the double-cjuick, 
and were brought onto Little Round Top. and by the direction ol" a staff oflicer 
ibrmed in line of battle ; being right in front necessitated our forming on the 
right by files into line. 

Our right re.sting at a j)oint about four hundred feet south of the road that 
crosses Round Top ridge, our left extending well up to what may be called the- 
rockier part of the western .slope of the hill, facing the wheatfield, with the 
intervening ridge and mar.sh directly in line of our front. This line of our 
regiment was formed immediately in rear of a line of others of our troops,, 
whom we soon foxind were some of the Pennsylvania Reserves, and who.se left 
was somewhat overlapped by our formation. Our other troops appeared at 
that time as Ijeiug apparently, driven from or leaving the field in our front 
])retty well broken up and the enemy in what seemed to us to be also rather 
disorganized parties, following closely after them, however, placing a couple of 
guns that our men were trying to save, in apparent jeopardy of being captured, 
from I may say almost under our eyes. Therefore, before the regiment was 
hardly formed in line we were ordered to fix bayonets followed immediately 
])v the command "forward Ninety-eighth, charge." and forward we did go, ad- 
vancing tlirough the line of troops mentioned as lying directly in front of us 
while we formed, they ai)parently willingly opening tlieir ranks to let us 
through; we charged through tbe marsh of Plum run, advancing to the foot of 
the ridge on the west side of the swamp; whatever there was in our immediate 
sight of the enemy, in our direct front, retreating before us with little firing; 
we liowever received a livelier fire from the left (Devil's Den) while crossing 
the swamp, which, together with the difficulty of crossing through the soft 
slough, had the effect to break <nir line up somewhat, so that the halt at the 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 521 

foot of the ridge, though for a few inoiut!nt,s only, allowed tliost- wlio became 
delayed (stuck in the mire) in cntssing, to catch up. 

The troops through whom we had passed. a.s before mentioned, also started 
to advance while we lay at the foot of the ridge, and on their left adjoining 
oar right they also halted a few moments when the whole extended line again 
advanced, we up the ridge to, and over the stone wall skirting the wheatlield, 
our left well into the woods on the left, driving back some and making 
prisoners of a number of what looked to us like disorganized, straggling 
parties of the enemy, with little extra effort on our part. We were, however, 
soon recalled to the stone wall on the ridge and held that position until near 
dusk, when we were ordered to the right and rejoined our brigade taking posi- 
tion on the right of it, which brought us on this line, having sustained in the 
charge and the other movements just described the comparatively light loss of 
(Hilyone man killed and ten wounded. And in this line and position we were 
kept to the end of the battle without actually any further losses or becoming 
farther engaged. 



M" 



ORATION OF SERGEANT F.J. LOEBLE 

. President and comrades of the Ninety-eightii Pennsylvania Kegi- 
meutal Association, ladies, gentlemen and friends : - A.ssembled here 
to-day, taking the allotted and average time of the life of mankind 
to be thirty-three years, a generation of the human tamily has almost 
passed away since first the cause made its appearance, which has led thousands 
to assemble to-day, on this glorious and renowned field of Gettysburg. It would 
take entirelj' too much of your valuable time, and would, I am afraid, severely 
tax your powers of endurance, were I to undertake to fully discu.ss the cause, 
the political intrigues and machinations of the leading politicians and states- 
men, which eventually led to the secession of the Southern States from the 
Union. 

More eligible tongues and abler pens have discussed those questions time and 
again, and I am confident, that the greater majority of those as.sembled here 
to-day, are (juite familiar with that subject, and it will, therefore, be sullicient 
for me to say that after a most exciting political campaign for the election of a 
President of these United States, in the tall of 1860, in wliicli that noble and 
never-to-be-forgotten man and martyr, Abraham Lincoln, was chosen as the 
executive officer of this federation of states, the country was embroiled, and 
stood face-to-face with the most wicked, uncalled for and unscrupulous attempt 
of traitoi's and rebels, to overthrow the government and establi.sh slavery on a 
firm and everlasting foundation. Although in his inaugural address, on the 4th 
of March, 1861, the President had jjiomised not to interfere with slavery in the 
States where it then existed, and assurances were given by all the leading 
statesmen of the then dominant party to the .same etfect, the political leaders 
of the South had so worked upon the minds of their con.stituents the idea of es- 
tablishing a separate government, with slavery for its corner-stone, that State 
after State recalled their senators and representatives from Congress and passed 
acts of secession in their diflerent legislatures. 

Ck)uld they have foreseen the unity and devotion to the flag, as exhibited by 
the inhabitants of the Northern States when they were once fairly aroused. I 



522 Pi-iinsijl r(tni(i cf Geffi/shHi(j. 

feel warrauted in saying, that they would Inivo cuiisidtifd and deliberated con- 
siderably longer before striking the blow agaiu><t the Hag ol" our country, by tiring 
on Fort Sumter in theharlior of Charleston, on the morning of April 12. 1861; 
but whom the gods wish to destroy they lirst strike with blindness, and as the 
Almighty Providence and father of us all. had determined to strike the curse 
of slavery from this fair land of ours, he let them goon in their mad career and 
permitted them to still fnrthei- t)lacken their treacherous souls in the blood of 
their brothers. 

The war of the rebellion was now fairly opened, a war which in its accursed 
course of four years cost the country hundreds of thousands of lives, millions 
upon millions of money, breaking down the health of thousands of men, and 
tilling the land with widows and orphans; at the same time, however, bring- 
ing forth to full development the noblest traits of human character, unbounded 
charity, heavenly love and unsurpassed devotion. On April 14, 1861, the stars 
and stripes, that beloved symbol of our country and human liberty, ceased to 
float over Fort Sumter, and the President issued his lirst call for 7o,0()0 volun- 
teers to serve tor the period of three months. The shots on Fort Sumter roused 
the slumbering lire of patriotism in the hearts of the Nation; stunned by this 
blow the country reeled like a man in his cups, but almost immediately re- 
covered and exhibited such an intensity of leeling and readiness for sacrifices 
of all kind as astonished the people themselves and the world at large. Work 
of all kind .seemed entirelj' suspended, the professional man suspended his call- 
ing, the artisan and mechanic stopped his machinery, the merchant laid aside 
his ledger, the laborer his pick and shovel, the farmer stopped his team in the 
field, even some of the boys flung their books in the corner, all vieing with 
each other which one would first reach the recruiting station, to inscribe his 
name on the roll of his cotintry's defenders. 

The quotas of the different States were filled almost as soon as the call ha<l 
been issued, and you, my comrades, well remember how eager you were to go 
forth, and to do and die, so that our nation might live. 

If I am allowed to do .so, I woiald here relate to yoti as an illustration of the 
eagerness of the people to enlist, and of the surplus of men oflering their ser- 
vices to the government, a circumstance which happened to me personally. On 
offering my services the recruiting officer told me emphatically, and 1 thought 
at the time, not very politely, that he could get by far more men than he 
wanted, and did not propose to enlist boys. 

It was at this time that our fellow townsman, John F. Ballier, a tried sol- 
dier of the Mexican war, a man of sterling qualities (who has been prevented 
by sickness from being with us on this memorable day) con.sidered it to be his 
duty toward the land of his adoption, to again unsheath his sword in defense 
of the flag under whose folds millions of people have found freedom from 
tyranny and oppression. His services being accepted, he took the field in a 
very short time at the head of a regiment of volunteers known as the Twenty- 
first Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry. The term of enlistment of this organ- 
ization expired on July 2!». the final discharge being August S. The brave and 
loj'al commander had, however, taken time ))y the forelock, and secured the 
issue of an order from the War Department, authorizing him to recruit a regi- 
ment of infantry lor the term of three years or sooner shot, as the boys used to 
say, the sentence, however, reading or sooner discharged; this again shows to 
you that even at that time no one liad any idea of the gigantic proi)ortions this 
unholy war was going fo assume 



I'e)tn.s//fvaiii<i af (h'ftyslnuuj. 523 

Many ot' tlu- (iiscliaiiit'd otliccrs and nicii ot Ili<- now extinct 'rwcni y-lirst 
Kej^iment rallied aronnd their ludnvcd cuintnaiidiT, anil at once eoniinenced 
active recruiting, so that by the ITtli olAiij^ust. Llic lirst company was mustered 
into the service, and was thereafter known as Company I, Ninety-eighth Penn- 
sylvania Infantry. By the 3(Jth September, seven more companies had been 
mustered in the IbUowiug order, D, C, F. A, E, K and B, and cncampeil at 
Cant]) Ballier, near Girard College, in Philadelidiia. With the exception of 
Company A, uiuety-tive ])er cent, of the enlisted men were of German V)irth or 
parcutiige ; Company A, or as more familiarly known the Irish wing of tlie 
German Kegimeut. is however fully entitled to and proud of the name of G( i" 
man Kegulars, by which one of the generals on the field designated tliem after 
the gallant and victorious battle of Williamsburg, Virginia, as well as those 
others who expressed their thoughts in the tongue of the Fatherland. 

On September 30, the eight companies left Thiladelphia for Washington, 
District of Columbia, where they were attached to the Fourth Army Cor)»s 
xiuder General Key es. During the month of I)ti-eml)er, Companies G and If 
joined the regiment in its camp near Tennallytown, thereby completing the full 
regimental organization often companies. 

On arrival at this camp, early in Octol)er, the colonel at <tnce commenced a 
rigid course of instruction in the duties of a soldier, sucli as company and bat- 
talion drills, guard mount, picket duty, manual of arms, etc., as well as estali- 
lishing a school for officers, and with pride every member of the regiment may 
say to-day, that when in the spring of 1862, it broke its camp, he belonged to 
a well-drilled and thoroughly organized body of volunteer soldiers, destined 
to make their mark in the hot work before them. In the beginning of JIarch, 
the regiment hailed with joy the order to march on the enemj-, ready to do 
battle in a righteous cause; it was, however, sorely disapjMiinted. w hen, after a 
few days, the army was ordered to return across the I'otomac and encamp again 
on its old ground. Meanwhile the plan of operations against the capital of 
the Confederacy, Richmond, was changed, and in the later days of March the 
army was embarked and transported to Fortress Monroe, to begin the memor- 
able campaign on the Peninsula. The regiment bore its share of hardships in 
the investment of Yorktown, holding a position near Warwick Court irou.se, 
doing picket duty, building entrenchments and corduroy roads during all of 
April, and until the evacuation and abandonment of the rebel work.s. 

Following up the enemy closely on the 5th of May, the long-looked for mo- 
ment arrived, when the regiment was destined to receive its baptism of fin-, 
in front of the rebel Fort Magruder near Williamslntrg, Virginia. The pros- 
pect of our valor and courage must have been rather a discouraging one to 
our commander, after the severe march over almost impassable roads, and in a 
drenching rain storm, and the speaker often recalls him to his mind's eye march- 
ing down the line, uttering words of encouragement and appealing to our sense 
of honor and duty, to show ourselves as men who could be depended upon in 
the hour of trial and danger. Bravely it followed its leader, and nobly did it 
do its duty, so well, that after the battle was over, it was taken from the bri- 
gade, and assigned to the special, hazardous and honorable duty of following 
up the retreating enemy, as one of the organizations composing the advance 
guard under General Stouemau until we reached the vicinity of Kichmond. It 
would take me too long, and would jjerhajis liecome too tiresome to you, were 
I to give a detailed account of its marches and engagements, through that ter- 



524 Pennsy/rania at Gettysburg. 

rible campaign in the suniiner of ]S()2, wIumi, in Aii«;iist. tliis noble Army of 
tlie Potomac, found itself at Harrison's Landing on tlie James river, a shattered, 
bleeding and almost discouraged remnant of its former self, neither will I dis- 
cuss the reasons for the disastrous ending of this campaign, but will sim])ly 
s;ij', that under the severest trials and experience the Ninety-eighth wasahvay.< 
found ready and willing to do its duty without murmuring or fault linding. 

Shortly, however, the line of march was taken iip again, as the rebel forces^ 
had turned their attention to the army of General Pope, who stood between 
Washington and Richmond. The division to which the regiment was attached 
was ordered to Alexandria, and, after disembarking, immediately' advanced to 
C'enterville, where it was assigned to the not very pleasant but important duty 
of covering the retreat of Pope's army which had been defeated in the second 
battle of Bull Run; this was successfully accomplished, and well may the mem- 
bers of the regiment feel proud of having had part in insuring the .safety of the 
Capital of the Nation at that particular time. Then Ibllowed Lee's invasion of 
the north, the battle of South Mountain and Autietam, the capture of Miles : t 
Harper's Ferry, whom the division was sent to reinforce, hut who had capit- 
ulated before it reached him, the chase after a foraging detachment of rebels, 
and the return to the Army of the Potomac hear New Baltimore, Yirginia. 

Here the division was attached to the famous Sixth Corps, whose fortune be- 
came hereafter its own until the close of the war. General Burnside having 
assumed command of the army about this time the order was given to advance 
by way of Frederick.sburg, where, on the 13th of December, 1862, a territic bat- 
tle was fought with disastrous results to the Union arms. The army then 
went into winter quarters on the north side of the Rappahannock, and, with 
the exception of the Burnside stuck in the mud march, remained quiet until 
the spring of 1863. 

Meanwhile the command of the army had been transferred to fighting .Joe 
Hooker, who, on the 1st of May, crossed the river a few miles above the city 
with the bulk of the army, leaving the Sixth Corps under command of (that 
famous soldier and fatherly commander) .John Sedgwick, in front of Fredericks- 
burg with instructions to take the rebel' intrenchments in the rear of the city. 
This ta.sk was nobly accomplished by the corps on the 3d of Maj', the regiment 
as usual taking a conspicuous part in this action. The line of march was al- 
most immediately taken up again towards Chancellorsville, but General Hooker 
having meanwhile been defeated at this point. General Lee sent heavy rein- 
forcements against the gallant Sixth, checking our advance at Salem Church. 
Stubbornly fighting against superior numbers the corps steadily retraced its 
steps, and reached the north side of the river on the 5th sustaining a very 
heavy loss in its numbers. This ended the Hooker campaign and brought the 
regiment back to its former quarters until June 20, Avhen it became apparent 
that the wily rebel leatler, Lee, was planning another advance into the loyal 
States, but shrouded his movements in such im])enetrable darkness, that his 
army was well on its way before the Union coniiiiand(>r had any idea of his in- 
tentions. 

July 1 found the regiment at Manchester, Maryland, while other corps had 
already opened the ball at this renowned field of Gettysburg where we have as- 
.sembled to-day, and where the greatest struggle for mastery took place be- 
tween the old. well-tried opponents, the armies of the Potomac and Northern 
Virginia. 



Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. 525 

In the evening the corps was ordered to (Jettysburg, the Ninety-eighth hav- 
ing the right ol" the line. No one of the participunt.s will ever forget that 
march of thirty-eight miles with but little rest. Weary and footsore it arrived 
on the afternoon of July ;>, and immediately went into action from the position 
yonder where we have just rededicated one of the monuments. Notliing 
dannted by their weariness, or even the retreat of their comrades of oilier 
oorps, who were closely followed by the enemy, they went forward at the wonl 
of command, and, after having Ji\ed bayonets, with a Union hurrah. 

Here, again, at a critical moment, the regiment fully provoMl that it was com- 
posed of no mean material, for had it not stemmed the current of the rebel ad- 
vance God knows what would have been the result if the rebels liad captured 
yonder heights, but the timely arrival of the regiment proved to be the turn- 
ing tide of the fortunes of war in two distinct results. The retreating Union 
soldiers, amazed by this outburst of confidence and devotion to duty, and .seeing 
the line steadily advancing, halted, faced about and joined in the forward 
movement of their brethren of the Ninety-eighth, while, on the other hand, 
the rebels received a check to their onward march, wheeled about and ex- 
changed the role of pursuers to the one of pursued. The regiment drove the 
retreating foe beyond this stone wall into the wheatfield, and was, later in the 
day, withdrawn to this position, which it hehl successfully until the close of 
the battle. 

I have shown you with pardonable pride that in .several imiwrtant actions 
the regiment fulfilled its duty to the best of its ability, and would but casually 
mention here, that about one year later, it was again its good fortune to save 
the capital of the Nation, being the first regiment of the corps to drive the 
rebels from in front of Fort Stevens, under the eyes of the late lamented Lin- 
coln, who personally tendered his thanks to the commander for the part taken 
in defeating the rebel designs, and assuring him that his services at that jiar- 
ticular critical time should never be forgotten. For three long da3's the fate 
of the Union hung in the balance on this Pennsylvania field, thousiuids of h«»r 
sons were engaged in this coutlict, on her own dear .soil, whilst thousands, aye 
millions, were praying for the success of our arms. At last the decision was 
rendered, the God of battles crowned with victory the Union army, and the 
highest tide of treason and rebellion had been reached on this very field. 
Henceforth the unhol}^ cause entered upon its decline, which, while not as 
rapid as we all could have wished, at least showed itself in their efforts l)c- 
coming weaker, for no offensive movement in force towards tlu^ northern states 
■was again attempted. 

Well do you remember, however, how stubbornly almost every inch of 
ground was contested, and thousands upon thousands of lives had yet to b<' 
sacrificed before the death blow to treason was struvjk at Ai)pomattox in '65, 
the Ninety-eighth being no mean factor in the struggle to the end. 

But let us now look to the immediate cause of our assemblage here to-day. 
Shortly after peace was restored to our bleeding country, a .spontaneous move- 
ment started up to preserve to posterity the outlines of the field of Gettysburg, 
proclaiming as it does to-day the valor of the citizen .soldiery of the American 
Kepublic. 

A commission was formed, subscriptions solicited, and section after .section 
acquired by purchase and donation until to-day nearly the whole field of car- 
nage is owned by the Gi^ttysbur;^- I'.atlle-lield Association. Kegi mental asso- 



/ 



52G Pcnthsylvanid, at (rctfijsliunj. 

ciations showed u tendency to commemorate the position held l)y eat^h of them 
during the terrilie struggle, in marking the spots by ilie erection of monuments. 

One alter another Avas raised upon the lield by the survivors, and well may 
you feel proud, my comrades, that a few years ago you put your shoulders to 
the wheel, and by a united effort, and with the assistance of your friends, you 
placed yonder memento upon this Held in memory of our fallen comrades. 

The elVorts of the survivors of the war induced the representatives of our 
beloved State of Pennsylvania to give them a helping hand in this noble un- 
dertaking by appropriating a certain sum of money lor a monument, to be 
erected upon the spot where each I'enn.sylvania regiment and battery fought 
and bled in those memorable days. To-day we have assembled to dedicate 
these monuments in the presence of our wives and children, our uncles and 
aunts and our friends in general, many a hand has again grasped the hand of 
comrades after an interval of years, friendships have been renewed, past hard- 
.ships and privations have been brought vividly to our mind, let us also droj) a 
silent tear for those near and dear ones who freely gave their lives for the land 
they loved, as we look upon this beautiful tribute of love to them, which but 
a I'eAv moments ago, has been strip])ed of the Hag that hid its beauties. 

May you, my comrades, remember, that the visitors to this spot, in the years 
when we too shall have joined the great army above, maj' drop a grateful tear 
to our memory, and thank the Lord, that, in the hour of danger to our l)eloved 
land, there were freemen enough to stand between their loved homes and 
those whose aim it was to destroy the liberties of a free people. But above all 
else may it continue to preach to posterity for years to come, that loyalty to 
our country should ever be second only to loyalty to our creator, the heavenly 
I-'ather of us all. 

May it serve as a warning to future generations tliat the American citizen 
will allow no one, no matter who he may be, to insult his flag or attempt to 
wre^st one single .star from its i)lace. While we welcome under its folds the op- 
jiressed of all the world, let it be decidedly understood that those who bared 
their brea.st to the murderous bulletin defense of it, are jealously guarding its 
interests, and will not allow it to be lowered, dragged into tlie dust, or used 
for any other but the noblest purpo.ses of mankind. 

May we so direct the education of our children, and through them again our 
children's children, that when they look upon these monuments, they may im- 
bibe that spirit of devotion to country and flag which made their ancestors 
ready and willing to offer their lives in the defense of the Star Spangled Kan- 
ner, the emblem of liberty, equal rights and national tinity. O Lord, grant 
that it may wave until the end ol' time, over a nation of freemen enjoying 
hapi)iness, ])rosperity and unity. 



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